ARTIST STATEMENT

    I fell in love with the landscapes of my youth. This affair has continued with the places I have traveled and the places I have called home. I spent the seasons exploring meadows and woods, rivers and streams, oceans and shorelines, watching birds and animals, swimming and fishing. These experiences were and still are very gratifying. They have influenced me throughout my life. There is a simplicity and freedom of being outdoors within the pageant of Mother Nature. Even when I could not be outside with Her, I wanted that feeling with me always. 

At the age of ten years old, I saw my first painting of the American Landscape and was mesmerized. Here I was indoors experiencing the outdoors. I was experiencing Mother Nature and the love I felt in Her presence. I thought, if I could paint it, then I could always experience that feeling, anywhere, anytime. I wanted those adventures to be with me always. I began my journey of paint-to-canvas shortly after and fell in love with oil painting. The elegance of its colors and the way it feels and the way It smells under knife and brush. The act of creating has been the vehicle to express my love and desire to capture Her simplicity and beauty. 

                               J. W. Leslie