Visual Artist

About

Artist Biography

Leesa is a figurative artist who writes when the grief is too overwhelming to paint and paints when she can’t find the words, pouring her emotions onto the canvas.
Art has been her therapy and catharsis through the living nightmare of child loss, painting and writing her journey through trauma to find the spiritual feminine.

Drawing portraits since her teens, Leesa decided to follow her passion for art and fashion and use real faces as her canvas, winning Hair and Makeup Artist of the Year 2003. Having worked on many famous faces, fashion, television and bridal, she started painting faces on canvas in 2016 as a way to deal with the death of her beautiful daughter Star Dawn.

Inspired by fashion, mythology, and the occult, Leesa’s work addresses feminism, trauma, and life’s transience issues. Starting her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2020, Leesa has pushed the boundaries of her practice exploring different techniques and mediums. The growth in her practice shows in her latest pieces using symbolism and textiles as a narrative for her life journey.

One of the highlights of Leesa’s career was an artist residency at Chateau Orquaveau, France, in 2019. Living at the chateau for four weeks with artists from around the world was a dream come true and an experience she will never forget. She was also Vice President for RedWest Creative Co-op, which was extremely rewarding and provided many opportunities to learn skills that will help her career as an artist.

Leesa has participated in several group exhibitions, finally having her first solo show in 2021 at BlackCat Gallery. Leesa hopes to empower the feminine identity through her art by painting strong, beautiful women who inspire. Painting faces, either on canvas or in the flesh, will always be a constant source of pleasure and her true passion!