Lexi Sundell lives in Ennis, Montana, USA with her artist husband. They own RiverStone Gallery and often spend their spare time fly fishing on the great trout waters of the area. Lexi grows thousands of poppies and other flowers each year in her unruly and extensive gardens.
Photo Credit to the photographer Gerry Mooney.
Publications and Awards
Electric Bear 24″w x 18″h
Electric Bear was done for the Yellowstone Art Museum Quick Finish in 2017.
The painting Night Tapestry was selected for The Russell Auction in 2017.
Lexi’s painting, Something in the Air, was selected for The Russell auction in 2015.
The painting Orchid at Midnight by Lexi Sundell received a Juror’s Choice award in the international competition Blossom: The Art of the Flower. Over 1700 entries from 14 countries were submitted and 50 paintings were selected for the show.
Her work has appeared in a variety of other exhibitions, such as Avant-Garden at the Torpedo Art Factory, three years in a row at the Yellowstone Art Museum, and at the Museum of Arts and Culture as well as other museums. Her paintings can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide.
She has published two books in six languages about acrylic painting. Lexi Sundell’s work has appeared in numerous newspaper and magazine articles as well as television shows. A limited edition fine art book hand bound in leather titled Lexi Sundell: Paintings and Poetry showcases her paintings. She sometimes teaches workshops, from beginners to professional artists switching from oil to acrylic.
Her Painting Story
Electric Night 48″w x 50″h
Mostly known for my paintings of flowers, my life took a sharp left turn in 2012. I was within one hour of finishing a large amaryllis painting when I quit for the day.
That night I dreamed of a large, shiny, black panther in my kitchen. All I knew was that he was dangerous and I had to take care of him.
He told me his name and I immediately forgot it. The panther was infuriated when I asked his name again, alarming me further.
I opened the fridge door and he went after the food. I told him he had to get out of there and, considerably to my surprise, he did. “At least he is well-behaved,” I thought to myself.
I told everyone not to open the door downstairs as I did not want him to eat Bridger, our elderly cat. Then I woke.
I understood the dream instantly, although it took two weeks to be able to explain it to anyone else. I picked up an old painting I had planned to remove the canvas so I could stretch a new canvas on it.
I took it to my easel, set aside the amaryllis, and scraped all the paint off my palette onto the old painting. That was not enough to cover it. I went through my jars of paint, “Oh, this one is getting old and needs to be used,” and slathered them onto the mess.
My artist husband came home for lunch, took one look, and asked, “WHAT HAPPENED?”
Unperturbed I continued with my project until I had the values working the way I wanted, and then covered it with semi-transparent paint that pulled the shrieking hues into harmony.
I spent the next two years painting like a madwoman, developing the style I now use with alternating layers of gel and paint.
As for the dream, I assure you that if you met all your own unrealized potential in your kitchen like I did, it would scare the daylights out of you too.
The main message was to stop twiddling around and focus on my deepest purpose. So I do.
I never did finish that amaryllis either.