Leslie creates her work by burning, imprinting, and cutting gourds. Though not always functional, the gourds are reminiscent of the art created by past cultures. Leslie earned her B.A. from Winthrop University and took graduate courses in art history at Florida State University. Her work has been exhibited in shows all over South Carolina, from Greenville’s Art in the Park exhibition to SCETV’s Gallery ETV.
Artist's Statement
"Cut, wood burned and lacquered gourds of all shapes and sizes, functional and non-functional pieces, this is primarily the medium I have worked in since 1995. After I grew a bumper crop of gourds, I had a wealth of raw materials and no idea what to do with them. For a year or so I experimented with cleaning and painting the gourds until I began directly burning patterns into the gourd flesh. I hit on the feeling all artists strive for, the reality you’ve created something unique and the desire to keep on doing it over and over again with fresh fascination each time a piece is complete.
The designs I use are from centuries old design books. I incorporate these decorative motifs onto a gourd’s biomorphic shape with a simple wood-burning tool. The contrast of dark browns and golden yellows gives the impression of aged wooden vessels. For the past 2 years I have concentrated primarily on Japanese designs while my sister is living in Japan."