Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lelia Davis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lelia, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Each series I create is meaningful in its own way. For my 2020 solo exhibit at G44 Gallery, my primary focus was to depict easily overlooked, fragile ecosystems in order to bring attention to their importance. This was informed by my degree in biology, and aligned with my love for the outdoors efforts in environmental conservation. I toured protected land with environmental organizations such as Colorado Open Lands, and photographed references for my paintings. I donated a portion of my sales from this exhibit to local environmental organizations.
My experience as a psychiatric nurse during the pandemic, however, inspired me to add another layer to my focus. The rise in mental health concerns among kids, adolescents, and adults was and still is astounding. People were living in their own personal fragile ecosystems, isolated from loved ones, and their school and work environments. As a result, the need for mental health care is higher than it has ever been. For the last few years, I’ve created each series with a theme that highlights the importance of caring for ourselves and others. In my November 2021 exhibit at Kreuser Gallery, I partnered with another artist to develop a series entitled Essence to depict intrinsic nature of oneself or a living thing. We highlighted unique qualities that are often overlooked but are essential to one’s being. In September 2022 at G44 Gallery, my series Expression explored the emotions represented by water and sky in order to accentuate the importance of expressing oneself. For my most recent exhibit in April 2023 at Kreuser Gallery, I created a series entitled Abundance to demonstrate its effect on one’s emotions of scarcity, sadness, and fear.
Lelia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Born into a long family history of artists, I have been a creative since birth. I have enjoyed making art since I was very young, and decided to study it in college alongside my degree in biology and nursing. I continued to take classes after my children were born, and finally fulfilled my dream of earning a Masters in Fine Art in 2022. I have been exhibiting my work both locally and throughout Colorado for several years, and have developed strong relationships and friendships with other artists and gallery owners. I am very grateful to be a part of such a supportive art community.
I have always combined my passion for art with my desire to serve others. During the pandemic, I taught art to foster teens in group homes since they were not only isolated from their families, but also from their school and social environments. This grew into a passion for using art as a form of mental health advocacy. I worked with NAMI, the National Alliance for Mental Illness, to develop a community project highlighting mental health through the power of art. Last summer, I painted a mural for Working Fusion at Mill Street, a tiny home community that working with young adults to provide safe and dignified housing, life skills education, individualized trauma-responsive therapy, and career placement. Recently, I have been working with friends to create a movement for treating others well by incorporating the slogan “be better” into various wearable designs. Throughout my career as an artist, I have donated paintings to fundraisers for several organizations who share similar goals, such as NAMI, Heartspace Kids, The Never Alone Foundation, Homeward Pikes Peak, and CASA.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being an artist is witnessing the lives I touch with my work. I used to be very nervous about exhibiting my work because I feared people’s opinions. As I’ve matured and grown as a person and an artist, I now anticipate the public’s reaction to my work because it means I’ve touched something inside of them. Because I paint about emotions and the need to support mental health, I connect with people’s humanity in a way that I couldn’t with words. I enjoy hearing people’s stories about what the art evokes in them, and knowing that I’ve made a difference in their lives.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
While I have always been an artist, a large portion of my life was committed to earning my degrees in biology and nursing, working as a nurse, and raising children. I’m very grateful to myself for not giving up on my dream of practicing as an artist professionally. While living in various cities after college graduation, I continued to take art classes at local universities and art schools while I was working as a nurse and also caring for my family. We experienced a major life change in 2011, and with that came my desire to fulfill my dream of earning my Masters in Fine Art. What was a waiting for? Since then, my career as an artist has grown significantly. Once I chose to prioritize my passion for creativity, I began building a beautiful community of artists, gallery owners, and art collectors that I didn’t even know existed. I found my people! 
Contact Info:
- Website: leliadavisart.com
- Instagram: @leliadavisart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lelia.davis.739
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lelia-davis-0026a118/