How about that cover?

A conversation with artist Leslie Singer

I was thrilled to find MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR on the list of Zibby Owens’s most anticipated books of 2023! I’m also excited to be a guest on her award-winning podcast Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books early next year. More details to come.

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About a year ago, Caroline Zancan, my editor at Henry Holt, asked for my input on the book’s cover design. I sent her a long email describing what I liked and didn’t like and confessing that I was one of those annoying people who isn’t primarily visual but has strong opinions about visual things. Caroline, being the doll she is, told me it was one of the most helpful emails she’d gotten from an author about covers (was it?).

Perhaps it was because a couple of months later, I was floored when I received a mockup of the cover featuring the portrait “Katya” by New Mexico-based artist Leslie Singer. I think the cover is provocative and arresting and perfectly captures the feel of the book. Nicolette Seeback, the cover designed, said she was drawn to the juxtaposition between the clean red lip and tousled hair which captured, for her, the feeling of youth, the way you can be simultaneously pulled together and a mess. My friend Nell Kushlak, who is a therapist, said she thought it looked like the winds of change were coming for this young woman. I love how it looks like she is being interrupted somehow, called by someone who wants her attention. Maybe a character in the book? Maybe the reader? Whatever the interpretation, I have had a lot of positive feedback about the cover and am hopeful it will attract readers.

Fun fact: I loved Leslie’s painting so much, I wanted to buy it for myself and was disappointed when I discovered it had been sold. But—surprise!—it had been sold to the lovely people I work with at Holt who had bought it as a gift for me. The painting now hangs on the wall in my front hall, and I couldn’t be more delighted.

I wanted to know more about “Katya” and the artist behind it, so I reached out to Leslie, who kindly agreed to answer some questions about her background and process and to tell us a little bit more about the painting on the cover of MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR.

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Would you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Leslie: I grew up in Louisiana and started drawing at an early age. My favorite thing was to make pastels of my mom's Glamour magazine covers. I went to a special high school for the arts -- New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts -- where you did art half the day and a traditional curriculum the rest of the time. But I wasn't happy because I wanted to draw and paint people and things, and I thought there was too much focus on abstract and conceptual art at the time. I went to Georgetown University in Washington, DC and took some painting classes but ultimately majored in liberal arts. After college, I moved to New York and worked in publishing and public relations, building a successful career. I forgot about art until about 14 years ago when I met my (now) husband, who encouraged me to go back to painting. I started studying again at the Art Students League of NY and spent most of my spare time in my studio in Hell's Kitchen. One day, on a lark, I sent some images of my paintings to Saatchi Art, and ended up selling the work. I've continued to sell through Saatchi and also through galleries and juried exhibitions. Today I have collectors in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Tell us about the kind of art you create.

People and portraits are the most interesting for me, and that is what I focus on. That being said, I'm always trying to go beyond just representing a single individual in order to capture mood or emotion. My medium is oil paint, which I love for its lush texture and richness of color -- and the fact that it's so forgiving. If something doesn't come out, you just paint over it! My work is heavily influenced by fashion, design, and my immediate surroundings. The "Gotham Gals" series is a stylized homage to New York, which was my home for 30 years, and a nod to the legendary painter Tamara De Lempicka, who has always been one of my favorites. When I moved to New Mexico in 2020, I started painting a Western-inspired series, "Galisteo." The subjects are strong, independent, modern women of the West -- lots of hats and turquoise!

Tell us about the painting “Katya.”

The piece was painted in my New York studio, and Katya is one of a couple of Russian models I used in several paintings during that period. The painting is a sort of non-portrait, intended to portray beauty but in a mysterious way that invites the viewer to complete the picture with her imagination. And while the painting captures a moment in time, the interpretation of that moment is up to the viewer. On a more tactical level, I was having a lot of fun with the paint on this one, with lots of rich tones and expressive brush strokes in the skin and hair.

How did the painting come to be on the cover of the book? I understand this is the first time your work has been used in that way.

Like most artists today, I am active on Instagram and other social media and also participate in virtual exhibitions. Nicolette Seeback, an art director at Henry Holt, saw my work online and reached out. I did some checking into the publisher and background on the book to make sure that this collaboration made sense. After connecting with the publisher, learning more about the book and writer, and seeing the cover design, it wasn't a hard decision. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to have more people see my art as a book cover.

How does it feel to have your artwork on the cover of a book?

I'm honored! And I am a big reader, so I am looking forward to reading the book!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions, Leslie!

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Coming next week: A wrap-up of all the books I read in 2022, including my favorite books of the year—as well as what the many books I didn’t get around to this year and hope to in 2023!