Uncanny Knack
For Capturing Fun On Canvas
by Clark Cogbill as it appeared in the Summer 1999 Issue of @ALLTEL.us

Pablo Picasso became so famous that he could write his name on a piece of paper and sell it for thousands of dollars. Les Waite can sell what he doodles . It's not as simple as it may seem. Les' doodlings are actually paintings, and people have been buying them because they like his art, not because he's a world famous artist. But give him time.

"Doodling taken to the extreme" is how Les defines his style of art. His acrylic and marker paintings have been described as having a puzzle-piece, or stained glass look. His style is unique and definitely recognizable. While the artist is somewhat quiet and reserved, his paintings hold nothing back. Bold and colorful, his pieces are filled with abstract shapes that somehow make up familiar forms.

Les has an uncanny knack for capturing "fun" and putting it on a canvas. Lately Les' work is popping up all over Little Rock, from coffee shops to Fortune 500 companies, and his pieces have been shipped to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Alaska, and Geneva, Switzerland. His paintings were featured in the 41st Annual Delta Exhibit in 1998, at the Arkansas Arts Center, and they have been shown at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre Gallery and at Little Rock's River Market ArtSpace.

His popularity in Little Rock has grown in the past few years, but Les says he has been an artist all his life, painting with oils at age 11. Today painting consumes many of his evenings and weekends. With plenty of commissioned work and requests to show his pieces in local galleries, Les is busy painting as many as 70 pieces a year.

So how was this up and coming artist discovered? A few years ago, while working as a telemarketer, Les was doodling on a notepad as he talked on the phone. His drawing caught the attention of his supervisor who watched over his shoulder.

"He was impressed with what I had drawn, but he said, 'Don't let it distract you.'" Les kept that doodle and transferred it into a painting. He hung the painting in his office when he went to work for the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission as a graphic artist.

AIDC director Del Boyette, like his former supervisor, recognized Les' talent. But this time Les was encouraged to continue painting.

The First Painting: "Del liked the painting, and he told me he wanted to host a party at his house and feature some more of my work." Les gathered all the paintings he had in stock, including the one in his office, and he painted a few more just for the party - his first showing.

He brought 22 pieces to his boss' party, and he walked away without a single one, having sold them all. The rest is history. Today Les' designs are showing up on posters, t-shirts, ornaments, greeting cards and even restaurant menus.

Les explains that the idea for a painting often starts simple and evolves as the piece is created.

"Sometimes I just open up the dictionary to a noun and then to a verb. The first thing that comes to mind gets me started. As I continue to paint, the forms make me think of different ideas, and those ideas continue to influence what I paint."

Some of his work originates from other sources. A few years ago Les sat down with his grandfather and recorded the stories that he told about his life. Les recreated one of his grandfatherís stories in a painting and presented it to him on his 82nd birthday. When his grandfather later died, Les donated the painting to the non-profit organization RAIN.

"I don't think keeping my paintings does any good. You don't do them so they can remain with you. They need to be out there where people can look at them." It seems certain that sharing his work with others is much more important to Les than making money from them. In addition to his donation to RAIN, Les has donated paintings to the United Way, the Central Arkansas Library System and Arkansas Children's Hospital.

He has donated his designs for t-shirts supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He also created the promotional poster for Little Rocks Taste of the Nation,- an event benefiting Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Recently he completed a 9' X 15' painting, his largest yet, and donated it as a backdrop for the ALLTEL Funhouse at Arkansas Children's Hospital.

If asked, Les will describe the thought process that went into a particular piece, but he doesn't make a habit of explaining his art. His philosophy on interpreting art is comforting to those of us who are intimidated by art galleries.

"Art is very personal. Each person's viewpoint is different. What the artist was thinking while completing a piece is probably not as important as what it means to the viewer when they see it.

Good art is art that makes you feel the way you want to feel.- Simply put, It's what you like.

When asked if painting is fun, Les explains that even though he enjoys painting, it is not the same as entertainment. "It's what I do. It's not like watching a movie or playing a game. It's self-expression."
Edward Hopper has the distinction of being Les' favorite artist. Aside from liking his work, Les appreciates that Hopper was popular in his own time and continues to be popular today.

"There are artists who are well known today but who died before they received any recognition. Recognition motivates you." Though he is too modest to ever admit that he could become famous for his art, Les is at least planning for the possibility that his art will outlive him. Les stopped painting on acrylic paper when he realized that it has a life of only 70 years. Today most of his paintings are on canvas.

So are Picasso's. Back to News