Biography

Leslie Rowland has been creating compulsively since she was a small child. To her mother’s dismay, she turned paint by number projects into works of impressionism. Her father would return home to find the entire driveway adorned with chalk drawings. When her parents took away the chalk, she turned to much more permanent bark; the world was her canvas. Becoming an artist was not a conscious decision but a compulsory happening. Fast forward- Leslie’s work has been sold and exhibited nationally and internationally and has been represented in galleries in Paris and throughout the United Sates.

Leslie has had a gallery in Asheville’s River Arts District for six years and recently opened Gallery COR in Asheville’s downtown art’s district. Art for Leslie is a form of communication, sometimes visceral and sometimes direct. She believes that the intention of art emanates from the painting long after the paint has dried and for this reason, she focuses on works that reveal, heal and radiate joy. These porcelain-like paintings are created through a time and labor-intensive processes created by the artist. Her process is markedly unique in the art world. Leslie is inspired by exploring new subjects in her work while blending science and art. There are multiple series represented in her body of work. Paintings in the “Pollinator Stories” series depict species puzzled together with images of flowers they pollinate. Paintings in the “Ecological Stories” series represent the intricate relationships in nature. The “Binary Code Mantras” series offers messages written in binary code such as “You are Beautiful,” “You’ve Got This,” and “Fuck It; Let’s Dance” The “Music Sound Waves” series presents interpretations of actual music waveforms derived from individual songs ranging from monks chanting “Om” to rock-n -roll.

In addition to an art-filled life, Leslie has a graduate degree in environmental policy and management and an undergraduate degree in environmental science. She enjoys experience new cultures through world travel, and racing crew with her club, Lake Lure Racing. Leslie lives in the Appalachian Mountains in a 100-year-old craftsman cabin on the Rocky Broad River with her five rescued cats and extremely tolerant husband. Leslie and her husband also perform as a musical duo called The Drunken Sundays. Wade plays the guitar and harmonica; Leslie sings.