Photos
Leslie’s Story
I was raised in the rural small town of Lincoln, in Northern California. I attended Sierra College in Rocklin, CA majoring in Photography and after graduating in 2001, I started my own family photography business which helped to support our family as we raised our two children. I specialized in environmental portraiture so I was always able to be in nature and exploring new areas for portraits. In more recent years, I have been more active in landscape, weather and astro photography with my photos appearing in the Idaho Travel Guide, Travel Africa magazine, Via Adventure magazine, Arizona Highways and Jackson Hole Style magazine as well as galleries in California and Arizona. ..
The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better
Where did you grow up?
Lincoln, California in Northern California.
Tell us about your family
I married my high school sweetheart and have two grown children that reside in the Tucson area and my Mom and Dad also live nearby. My Dad had a love for astronomy and always had a telescope trained on the night sky, which I found to be fascinating as well. I remember being very little and watching in wonder the way the light and clouds moved across our little valley. My husband also has a keen interest in art and we love visiting museums and art galleries.
Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them?
We have three fur babies, two dogs and one cat. Penny is our 3 year old Red Heeler who we refer to as “spicy nice” (think Ghost Pepper!) and a 10 month old Boykin Spaniel mix who is just a big-hearted sit on your lap 60 pounder who will do any for food! Buster our 15 year old cat is content to sit and watch the endless mayhem going on around him!
When did you know that you would be an artist?
I was about six years old when I would ask my mom to buy me watercolor paints and books and work on them for hours outside in our large backyard, but I was always frustrated with my “masterpieces” , they just didn’t look like anything that I envisioned in my head. But, when I was nine my parents came home with a Brownie Hawkeye camera from a yard sale and then I discovered a real path for me to be creative. I took photography throughout high school, had my own makeshift darkroom at home and was always taking pictures and developing my own film. Later I attended Sierra College in Northern California and took every course that was offered in photography graduating in 2001.
What is your favorite media to work with?
Well, I still dream of being a painter, but I love being out in nature and storms fascinate me as well as astrophotography. And I am always scouting and researching new dark sky areas to travel to.
What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do?
My husband and I enjoy 4 wheeling, camping, fishing , we also rode and trained Quarter Horses in Reining shows and trailed trained them for hunting and camping. And I love to garden and grow my own vegetables.