Animals and art have always been a passion
in Leslie’s life. Leslie can recall drawing
her first horse shortly after learning how to print
her name.
‘‘I yearned for a horse of my own and
satisfied my need by creating them on paper.”
Eventually, she acquired her own horse, a black
and white pinto gelding at an auction for $101.00.
His name was 50/50, he was bony and spoiled and
liked to kick and bite when he was being groomed.
Leslie barely outbid an old horse trader named MoMo
for her treasure. A Mickey Rooney/Henry Daily character
reminiscent of Walter Farley's “Black Stallion”
books, MoMo enabled a number of horse crazy youngsters
to pursue their passion with his sometimes dangerous
equine purchases. That was the beginning of a long
list of treasured equine friends, now all passed
on to greener pastures, leaving an indelible mark
on her heart and in her artwork.
Leslie grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan and
many summers were spent on horseback, traveling
the back roads and open fields of the rural countryside.
Her family has deep roots in farming and generations
have worked their land with horses. In 2005, an
event was held to feature the 5th generation working
the same field as had his great grandfather before
him.
In
1970 Leslie pursued a degree in fine art from the
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, later receiving
her BA from the UW at Whitewater.
Her early journey in the arts was concentrated on
figurative oil painting and surrealistic floral
landscapes in colored pencil. Her equine subject
was never forgotten. In 1987 she rediscovered the
colored pencil and unicorns started to appear in
her floral landscapes. It wasn’t long before
horses and other creatures were firmly anchored
into her compositions.
Leslie now lives within the rolling bluffs and hidden
valleys of the Mississippi River. Her journey has
led her full circle in her artwork. She now expresses
the spirit of the animals in her drawings and paintings.
She is inspired by the animals around her, either
wild or tame, they now find themselves in her art.
Leslie has exhibited her work throughout the United
States and in Canada and Russia. Including solo
exhibitions of both her floral landscapes and her
equine compositions. She has been juried into the
American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Showcase in
2000, 2001,2002 and 2003. Other exhibits include
Wisconsin Arts Board exhibit, Heyde Center for the
Arts Chippewa Falls,WI., Alexander House Regional
Arts Center in Port Edwards, WI.,Western States
Horse Expo, The Draft Horse Classic, Nightwalker
98, Barrington Area Arts Council Exhibit, Midwest
Horse Fair, Equine Art Guild Shows and the American
Morgan Horse Art Competition and Art Auction in
84 and 86. She has won numerous awards for her colored
pencil work and continues to strive for excellence
in her craft.
She is a founding member of the Wisconsin Equine
Art Guild and past editor of its newsletter. She
has been a long time member of the national art
support group, No Limits for Women in the Arts and
currently is a member of the Outrageous Outlaw Society
of Artists, Eastbank Artists, the La Crosse Plein
Air Painters and the Three Rivers Weavering and
Spinning Guild.
Leslie and her husband Jack have hosted the 2001
and 2002 American venues for the Equine Art Guild
exhibition in their gallery space, Mustard Creek
Metal Works & Art Gallery in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
They have also hosted the "Spirit of the Horse"
national juried exhibit in 2000.
They currently enjoy the company of their very opinionated
animal friends, including her biking partner, a
Samoyed named Raku(Racki), her calico cats, LunaBGoose
and SpiderEider Rose, 6 unruly hens and a large
family of persistent garden thieves... the Woodchuck
family…..
