The Anchorite
Investigating the Mystery of Self

Seeing Past 2026, oil and acrylic on canvas 24 x 36"
"I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life."
-Henry David Thoreau

Sweatshirt Selfie with Red Lips 2025, colored pencil on canvas 24 x 24"
Lesley Gibson
While the word Anchorite is ancient, I use it in a secular, somewhat spiritual, and mostly tongue-in-cheek way. I'm a painter, writer and English teacher who enjoys playing with language. For me, anchorite has a strength that suggests the universal desire of seclusion for exploration of the Self. This site functions as a physical manifestation of that quest. It's a place to engage with art, writing, and a community of like-minded seekers.
Enjoy!