Leroy Burt

Man With Lizard, Original Painting

2022

Artist Comments
"On hot summer afternoons on the East Side of Milwaukee, a young man could often be seen carrying his pet Tegu lizard to Bradford Beach so it could bask in the sun," says artist Leroy Burt. "He thought it missed the semi-deserts of Central America and lying on the weed-covered sand along the shore of Lake Michigan made it less homesick for its natural habitat. He claimed that one night after a long afternoon in the sun, it laid an egg in its sandbox habitat in one corner of his studio apartment."

About the Artist
Artist Leroy Burt paints playful, offbeat landscapes and portraits based on his experiences living in Milwaukee, New York, Costa Rica, and currently Rochester, Minnesota. "I think of my paintings as short stories," he says. As a young child, Leroy faced a number of obstacles. His parents divorced when he was four years old and he was raised by his grandparents in a three-room shack without running water or electricity. Leroy worked hard to pull himself out of poverty. He studied graphic design and painting, which led to a 30-year career in graphic design - five years at WMVS, the PBS television station in Milwaukee, fifteen years at city hall in Milwaukee, and ten years at WNET, the PBS station in New York. In 2015, Leroy retired to focus his energy on painting. Today, he works from a tiny studio filled with half-finished paintings stacked against every wall. "There are photos and sketches for future paintings taped everywhere," says Leroy. "My windows are filled with orchids. There are books, films and music CDs in every corner. And the room is dominated by a black and silver Andy Warhol silkscreen print of Marilyn Monroe."

Words that describe this painting: small, portrait, man, pet, lizard, acrylicpaint, David Hockney, Edward Hopper, primitive, house, home, people, friends, sky, windows, animals, primitive, acrylic painting, blue

Man With Lizard
Leroy Burt
Acrylic painting on stretched linen
Finished black edges
Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front and back
2022
8 in. h x 10 in. w x .8 in. d
0 lbs. 15 oz.