Jackie Leishman
California, visual art
“I wear many hats, teacher, mother, wife, disciple, friend. At my core I am a seeker, a curious person who tries to find a way to be in the path of wonder. My spiritual self and artist self are intertwined, I cannot separate them and don’t want to. They inform one another, bleed into one another, even though it may not always be apparent in the work. It is the way I move through the world, interact with others, and what I offer in return.
“Ultimately, my art is an optimistic endeavor—a testament to the malleability of our perceptions and the potential for transformation. Through my work, I hope to spark a sense of wonder and expansiveness, offering new ways of seeing, feeling, and understanding what it is to be alive.”
Jackie’s Residency project is a new series using works of famous artists as theological and artistic springboards for reimagining ideas of gender, divinity, and legacy—melding mixed media with art historical inquiry.
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Jackie Leishman (1979) grew up in Georgia, moving to the Los Angeles area after completing her MFA from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Originally trained as a photographer, she now works as a mixed media painter. Using both traditional and non-traditional materials, including fragments of old projects, Leishman explores the dichotomies she witnesses. Select solo and group presentations include Ahmad Shariff Gallery, Claremont, Meyer Gallery, Park City, Claremont Museum of Art, Susan Elay Fine Art, New York, Granary Art Center, UT among others.
Leishman’s work has been featured in Feel Free magazine, Penumbra, Flyway, Whitefish Review, VoyageLA, Artemis Journal, and others. She has been awarded grants and residencies including the Anderson Center, and Prairieside Outpost. Her work is beloved by collectors, art advisors, and designers. She recently completed a large commission for Stream Realty for their Regions Plaza commercial building in Atlanta, GA, designed by Gensler. She collaborates with evolutionary biologist Steven Peck on bodies of work investigating the loss we will continue to experience with climate change. Their work has been featured in multiple publications and their entire first body of work was bought by a major University library for their permanent collection.