Bio:   Lisa Leskien BFA, B.ED, OCT 

 

Meet Lisa Leskien -  Artist on the Loose

 

Lisa Leskien is an artist on the loose.  Always exploring with her camera in hand, she enjoys collecting inspiration from the beautiful, rugged scenery of the Canadian Shield near her home North of Kingston.  Lisa creates stylized, representational oil paintings and lino & woodcut prints of scenes and objects from her life that radiate joy and energy using bold mark-making, thick "juicy" paint and a highly exaggerated use of colour. Lisa enjoys spreading that joy through her own artwork but also through teaching and coaching others in their artistic journeys at the Kingston School of Art where she teaches beginner, intermediate and landscape-focused painting classes, printmaking classes, crochet classes and arts workshops.  Lisa is the 2024 Winner of the Quinte Plein Air Competition for her bold and bright acrylic painting called “Greetings from Jimmy the goat at Hagerman Farms”, she thoroughly enjoyed painting this scene, and loves capturing local colour and energy around her.

Lisa has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from York University, and a Bachelor of Education Degree from Brock University.  She is a certified member of the Ontario College of Teachers OCT #478312.  She followed her dream to become a full-time artist in 2024 after a 19-year career as an elementary school teacher. 
 
CV:

Exhibitions/Group Shows:

2024

• Cambridge Winterfest Holiday Market- Cambridge, ON December 14&15

• Kingston Holiday Market - Kingston, ON November 30 & December 1

• Cline House Gallery Merry Minis Show, November/December

• Art in the Sawmill - Verona, ON October 19

• Kingston Square Foot Show - Kingston, ON October 18-20

• Sweet 16 Art Show - Online, October 2-5

• Art After Dark - "Fire" Group show - Minotaur Games, Kingston, ON September/October

• Turtles Kingston Group show - Kingston, ON September

• Kingston School of art Members Show - Kingston, ON September

• Bath Art Festival - Bath, ON September 14

• L & A Studio Tour Artist Participant - Bath, ON September 7&8

• Pop Art Square foot Show - Online - North America-wide, August 

• Solo Show "Big Tree Energy" Kingston School of Art Window Gallery, Kingston, ON, July

• Napanee Hospital Group show, July-August 

• ArtFest Kingston, Kingston, ON, July 

• Quinte Plein Air Festival and show, Belleville, ON, June

• GNAA Juried Exhibition, Napanee, ON June

• Stoney Steps Art Festival, Newburgh, ON, June

• Hamilton Plein Air Festival, Hamilton, ON, June

• Elora Plein Air Festival, Elora, ON, May

• Pelham Art Festival, Pelham, ON, May

• Modern Fuel Night Market, Kingston, May

• Solo Show - Domino Theatre, Kingston, ON, March

• Pi Art Squared show, Online March

• Kingston School of Instructor Show, Window Gallery, Kingston, ON, March

• Cline House Gallery Juried Show, Cornwall, ON, January

• The Hive Studio and Gallery, Bath ON, Ongoing 2024

 

2023

• Merry Mini's Group show - Clinehouse Gallery, Cornwall, ON

• Kingston Square Foot Show (Sold out), Kingston, ON

• Daft Art Day - Live Painter Daft Brewery, Kingston, ON

• Art After Dark, Exhibition at YGK Coffee house - Kingston, ON

• Mutation Group show - Minotaur, Kingston, ON

• Rideau Artist of the year Plein Air Competition Group show - Smiths Falls, ON

• Petite Square foot Show

• Daft Art Day - summer - Kingston, ON

• Women's Art Fest - Kingston, ON

• Quinte Arts Council Plein Air Competition Group Show - Belleville, ON

• Art Party Group Show - Kingston, ON

• Summer Group Show - Blue Crow Gallery - Toronto, ON

•  Lakeside Studio Gallery Artist (Various Group shows) - Bath, ON

• KSOA Staff and Student Show - Kingston, ON

•  Pi Art Exhibition - Toronto, ON

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2022​

• Merry Mini's Square foot show, Clinehouse Gallery, Cornwall, ON

• Show of Smalls, Art Noise, Kingston, ON

• Melt "Give a little bit" group exhibition, Picton ON

• Melt Decay group exhibition, Picton, ON

• Kingston Square Foot Show, Kingston ON

• TOMPE Printmaking Exhibition, London ON

• Melt Artists Juried Exhibition, Picton ON

• Melt Moonwatchers Show, Picton ON

 

2021​

•  Kingston School Of Art Paint the Town Group Exhibition, Kingston ON

• Loft Gallery Square Foot Show, Thornbury ON

 
 Solo Shows:

• 2024 Big Tree Energy, Solo Show, Window Art Gallery, Kingston School of Art Kingston Ontario

• 2023 Into the Great Wide Open, Solo Show, Lakeside Studio Gallery, Bath, ON

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Awards/Recognition:

• 2024 Quinte Arts Council Plein Air Competition - First Prize overall for the acrylic painting, "Greetings from Jimmy the Goat on Hagerman farms"

• 2024 Quinte Arts Council Plein Air Competition - Honourable Mention for the Linocut Print "Hagerman Farm"

• 2024 Hamilton Plein Air Festival - 3rd Prize overall for the Oil Painting "Clara's Climb"

• 2024 Elora Plein Air Festival - Honourable Mention for the acrylic painting "Gorgeous Elora"

• 2023 Quinte Arts Council Plein Air Competition - 3rd prize -Belleville, ON

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Residencies:

• 2023 Studio Artist Resident - Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, Kingston, ON

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Gallery Representation:

• 2024  The Hive Art Studio and Gallery, Bath ON

• 2023 Lakeside Studio Gallery, Bath, ON

 
Painting on the Run:

• 2023 - Fat Ass 6hour Race - Trenton, ON

• 2023 - Tally in the Valley, 24 hour race, Hamilton, ON

• 2022 - Falling Water Trail Marathon, Eugenia ON – 42.2km and 6 paintings on the run

• 2022 – Foxtail Trail Race, Dundas ON – 50k and 4 paintings on the run

 
Education:​

• 2004 Bachelor of Education, Brock University

• 2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours– Studio Art major, York University

 
Teaching:

• 2022 -Present – Teaching Artist – Kingston School of art – Introduction to Acrylic Painting, Intermediate Acrylic Painting, Oil painting for beginners, Comprehensive Crochet,  Lino cut Printmaking, Paint-tober daily painting practice, Intergenerational Art workshops

• 2021-2024- Elementary teacher, Kingston and Area

• 2005-2021 - Elementary teacher, Brantford ON