Lenor Bingham

The daughter of an inventor and an artist, American painter Lenor Bingham grew up on Long Island, amidst her father's extravagant contraptions and her mother's sculptures. Frequent trips to museums spurred a passion for modern art and Abstract Expressionism; while childhood travels to Latin America enlivened her palette.

Bingham paints delicate portraits of family life, dream-like vignettes evoking childhood memories, folk tales, or tender declarations of love for her children. The desire for intimacy and preservation of the familiar nucleus are recurring themes in her work, although not overtly addressed. Bingham's Chagallian aesthetic is achieved through layers of acrylic, watercolor, and ink, partially washed-out with bleach. This act of covering and uncovering casts tiny hints to the underlying stories resulting in poetic works of unparalleled textural complexity.

Bingham formally studied art under Toby Klayman at the Fort Mason Art Center in San Francisco. She exhibited her art in solo and group shows in Portland, OR, and New York. A wine enthusiast, avid hiker, and licensed esthetician, she now runs a German restaurant with her husband. She works and lives in Portland, OR.