Pratt-Thomas Studio Artist Biography


	"Painting is what I do...a part of who I am. There is nothing else I do in which I feel so fully engaged."

Leslie was born in Canada and has had a rich and varied life experience...from living and skiing in the Rockies to working as a paralegal in Charleston, her chosen home. After her post- graduate work, she was a practicing therapist working with children and families. She approaches life fearlessly and paints in the same manner.

She has been painting in oil since the mid 1990s and has been driven to learn from the best. She has painted and studied in Canada, Europe, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Most recently, she has reconnected with her country of origin and has been studying intensively with the internationally noted painter, Ian Roberts.

Leslie prefers to paint from life whether it be painting with her weekly plein air painting group or setting up still life subjects or models in her studio. Photographic reference is primarily a supplement to her daily painting regime.

Leslie has won numerous awards for her work and recently had a piece titled I Can Fly chosen for the cover of Swimming Lessons by New York Times best-selling author, Mary Alice Monroe. 2009 brought the release of Shackles, a children's book written by South Carolina Poet Laureate, Marjory Heath Wentworth. Leslie was excited and challenged to be invited to illustrate this award-winning creation.

Also in 2009, she began teaching small groups in her studio. Leslie notes that teaching new painters is "pure pleasure...I remember when I first began painting and seeing the world from a new perspective. There is nothing like reliving that experience through the eyes of new painters. The visual world unfolds in an indescribably visceral way."

Leslie's work can be found locally in Sandpiper Gallery and Edward Dare Gallery, and she will consider portraiture by commission. Her work can also be found in private and corporate collections in the United States and abroad.

Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (COPA)
Charleston Artist Guild (CAG) Exhibiting Member
Oil Painters of America (OPA) Associate Member
Portrait Society of America

2009
• Shackles wins a Silver for 2009 Moonbeam Awards
• One Woman Show and Book Launch for Shackles at Sandpiper Gallery, Sullivan’s Island, SC

2008
• Created sixteen illustrations for Shackles, a children’s book by S.C. Poet Laureate, Marjory Heath Wentworth
• Commissioned to do posthumous portrait of Walterboro Family Court Judge, the Honorable John Black

2007
• Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition (juried), Charleston, SC ~ Honorable Mention (Frolicking Foam)
• Four Person Show at Sandpiper Gallery, Sullivan’s Island, SC
• National book release: Swimming Lessons (I Can Fly – cover art)
• Painting Exhibition (invitation), Charleston, SC Charleston Garden Festival at Middleton Gardens
• Charleston Artist Guild Show, Charleston, SC ~ Honorable Mention (Early Morning Shadows at the Beach)

2006
• Charleston Artist Guild Holiday Show (juried), Charleston, SC ~ 2nd place (Pursuit of a Bouquet)
• Group Show at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC The Artist’s Eye sponsored by the SC Portrait Society of America
• Painting (I Can Fly) chosen for cover of Swimming Lessons by author Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times best-seller
• Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition (juried), Charleston, SC

2005
• One Woman Show @ Edward Dare Gallery, Charleston, SC “Our Landscape”
• Group Show at Havens Framing, Columbia, SC, invitation
• Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition (juried), Charleston, SC
• Group Show at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC “Art of Diversity Among Women,” sponsored by MUSC and the College of Charleston
• Women’s Studies, and the Center for Women, invitation

2004
• Two Person Show at Sandpiper Gallery, Sullivan’s Island, SC
• Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition (juried), Charleston, SC

2003
• Two Person Show at Spencer Gallery, Charleston, SC
• Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition (juried), Charleston, SC ~ Merit Award (Pitt Street Reflections)
• Portrait Unveiling at Charleston County Courthouse, Charleston, SC ~ Commissioned by Charleston County Bar to do the portrait of retiring Circuit Court Judge, The Honorable A. Victor Rawl
• Charleston Artist Guild Show (juried), Charleston, SC ~ 2nd place (New York is Exhausting)

2002
• Mt. Pleasant Arts Festival, Mt Pleasant, SC ~ 3rd place (Surf’s Up)
• Blessing of the Fleet, Mt Pleasant, SC ~ Best in Show (Surf’s Up)

2001
• Painting (I Can Fly) chosen for the cover of Skirt! Magazine (June issue), Charleston, SC
• One Woman Show at Blink!, Charleston, SC
• Blessing of the Fleet, Mt. Pleasant, SC ~ 3rd place (Summer Harvester)
• Mt. Pleasant Arts Festival, Mt. Pleasant, SC ~ 2nd place (Summer Harvester)
• Charleston Artist Guild Show (juried), Charleston, SC ~ Honorable mention (Summer Harvester)