Untitled (Tondo) by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper

Untitled (Tondo) by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper

Untitled (Tondo) by Leeper

Leeper, Doris, 1929-2000

Artists--Florida

Art--Southern States

Painters--Southern States

Painting--Florida

Untitled (Tondo), an oil on masonite painting created by Doris Marie Leeper around 1960. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.

Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.

Leeper, Doris "Doc" Marie

Original oil painting: Leeper, Doris Marie. Untitled (Tondo): item 1995.13, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, Florida.

ca. 1960

ca. 1960

Digital reproduction of original oil painting: Leeper, Doris Marie. Untitled (Tondo).

Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, Florida.

Art Legends of Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

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1 oil painting

eng

Still Image

Eldora, Florida

New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Donation

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Originally created by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper.

Donated to the Cornell Fine Arts Museum by Dyer Moss in 1961.

Copyright to this resource is held by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Cepero, Laura

"Doris Leeper: SCULPTOR, PAINTER." Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida of Department of States. http://dos.myflorida.com/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/doris-leeper/.

Moore, Roger. "Doris Leeper Was A `Force For The Arts':The Atlantic Center For The Arts Was Among The Volusia Woman's Many Creations." The Orlando Sentinel, April 12, 2000. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2000-04-12/news/0004120103_1_smyrna-beach-new-smyrna-leeper.

1 oil painting