Leslie Marcus

Leslie Marcus is currently presenting her work in the Gallery Artists Part XXI Virtual Exhibition at the Walter Wickiser Gallery. She also recently exhibited work at Equity Gallery's 2024 Juried Invitational in New York City. She has participated in group and juried exhibitions at the Bowery Gallery and other venues in New York City, Brooklyn, New York, and Tokyo, Japan. From 2023-2024, she showcased work in three Solo Virtual Viewing Rooms with the Walter Wickiser Gallery on the Artsy platform. In the summers of 2024 and 2023, Leslie Marcus was an artist-in-residence at La Pointe Peinte in Noyers sur Serein, France. Holding a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Philadelphia College of Art, she further refined her skills at The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. While there, studies with the artist George McNeil inspired her direction towards abstraction. Before the Studio School, she attended a selective program at the Delaware National Park, painting landscapes with the artist Lois Dodd. Based in New York City, Leslie Marcus is an active member of the artistic community and affiliated with The Art Students League of New York and New York Artists Equity.

I begin each painting with the intent to convey what stirs me emotionally or captures my aesthetic attention using color and gesture as my primary tools. This initial notion often stems from a fleeting feeling, a vivid memory, or a particular visual experience that resonates deeply within me. I don't approach the canvas with a fixed outcome in mind; instead, I allow the work to unfold naturally. The process is fluid, driven by intuition and a relentless pursuit of the joy that comes from discovery. Light is crucial in my work, serving as a guiding force. It defines and illuminates forms, bringing them into focus, or softens and obscures them, enveloping shapes in an expansive space that invites contemplation. This interplay creates space within the piece, adding layers of depth and meaning. Each painting I create reflects my identity at that specific moment in time. It captures the nuances of my current thoughts, emotions, and sensory experiences, where my observations of the world and my memories converge. As I work, I remain deeply attuned to the canvas, listening to what it needs and responding to its demands. The evolving process is a dialogue between my inner world and the emerging work, guiding the direction and ultimate realization of the piece. In this way, each painting is a living record of my creative journey, encapsulating the ongoing exploration of self and expression.

b. Havre de Grace, MD
Currently lives and works in New York City
RESIDENCIES
2024 / 2023 / 2025 La Porte Peinte Artists Centre, Noyers sur Serein, France
SOLO EXHIBITION (virtual)
2025 New Works (January-February), Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 The Mother The Father, Equity Gallery, New York NY
2024 Equity Gallery Juried Invitational, Jurors: Ben Pritchard, Matt Rota, Graham Nickson, Sharilyn Neidhardt;
Equity Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Combined Media, Assemblage, The Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
2022 Bowery Gallery National Competition, Curator: Lance Esplund, Bowery Gallery, New York, NY
2022 Combined Media, Assemblage, The Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
2021 Primavera, ChaShaMa, One Brooklyn Bridge Park, Brooklyn, NY
2020 Merit Scholarship Award Winners Exhibition, The Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
2019 New York Studio School Alumni Invitational, Curator: David Humphries; The New York Studio School, New York, NY
2019 Brooklyn 4, Brooklyn/Beauty/Fashion/Labo (BBFL), Tokyo, JAPAN
2019 Abstraction, The Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
2018 Group show, OSSAM Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2018 7 Artists on 7th Street, Brooklyn/Beauty/Fashion/Labo (BBFL), Brooklyn, NY
(virtual)
2024 Gallery Artists Part XXI Exhibition (June-September), Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2024 Recent Works, Solo Viewing Room, Artsy, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Works on Paper, Solo Viewing Room, Artsy, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2023 Recent Works, Solo Viewing Room, Artsy, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2022 Combined Media, Assemblage, The Art Students League of New York, New York, NY
AWARDS
2019 Merit Scholarship – Abstract Category (Elizabeth A. Clarke Scholarship), Jurors: Adrian Dannatt, Abby Leigh;
The Art Students League, New York, NY
2019-2020 Special Recognition, multiple awards, The Phyllis Harriman Mason Gallery, New York, NY
PRESENTATION/ARTIST TALK
2024 La Porte Peinte, Noyers sur Serein, France
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“2019 Alumni Invitational.” New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. October 2019.
LINEA the Artist’s Voice, online journal of the Art Students League of New York
https://www.asllinea.org/event...
COLLECTIONS
Works held in private collections in New York, Virginia, Maryland and California
EDUCATION
1977 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting, Philadelphia College of Art
1976-1977 New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
1975 Union of Independent Colleges of Art – selective artist program at the Delaware Water Gap
AFFILIATIONS
Artists Equity, joined 2021
The Art Students League of NY, joined 2018

NY

United States