Effingham Public Library is pleased to welcome local artist, Dawn Lester.
The artist, an Oblong High School graduate who says her “field of art changes daily,” is showing a selection of her varied work through Oct. 30.
A resident of Effingham since 2020, Lester has been a creator of both film and digital photography, graphic design, resin and apparel decoration.
“During my stint at SIUC (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale), in which I
studied graphic design, after dropping the course, ironically, I found a love for mixed media and unconsciously rejected more realistic forms of art,” Lester said. “I’ve been doing digital photography for at least fifteen years. Film photography before that, but that was the time I lived through. My childhood vacation memories were taken on disposable cameras that we had to have developed. I’m a millennial.
“I picked up resin, as well as apparel decoration, within the last five years,” Lester added.
The artist says that she draws inspiration for her art from nature and the struggles of daily life. “The human experience is so complex, at times managing the emotions of ourselves, the emotions of others, family, friendships, all relationships. We have to pay bills, take care of the house, take care of others,” she said. “Art is an escape for me. I don’t need inspiration sometimes, I just need alone time. I draw inspiration from this journey of life. To me, art has been an escape from it all.”
The art exhibit is free and a library card is not required to view the exhibit.
Contact Oran Colwell Art Gallery/Technical Services Coordinator at 217-342-2464 or
oran@effinghamlibrary.org for more information.
