Leslie Peck

Biography

Leslie Peck, a New York native, was educated at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. She then spent a year studying art in Italy at the Scuola di Lorenzo De Medici in Florence, before apprenticing in Rome with renowned illustrator Alessandro Biffignandi. Peck began a freelance career in romance book cover illustration in 1988. While still sucessful in the publishing field, her love for portraiture of people and animals has found its expression in her most recent oil paintings.

Style

Painting farm animals and still lifes of the products of her own region is a passion for Peck. She brings out the subtle beauty and simplicity of their nature. Using her extensive background in portrait painting, Peck is able to create classic, yet bold portraits and still lifes that capture the environment that surrounds her. Utilizing strong contrasts in light and shadow, her subjects come to life on the canvas.

Statement

"Finding and elevating the beauty in simple objects is my goal. I look for an eloquence in our everyday produce whether it be vegetables, fruit or eggs and pair them with nearly equally perfect manmade objects of beauty. The marriage of the two in design and color should not only be organic but harmonious and soothing to the viewer. The great philosopher and poet Rumi put it well when he wrote 'Every object, every being ,is a jar full of delight.' It is just for us to reveal and discover this."

Honors

Peck's paintings have been exhibited at The Georgi Museum in Shushan, NY. She has also exhibited in multiple galleries in New York and Vermont, including Southern Vermont Arts Center, Albany Institute of History and Art, The Cooperstown Art Association, Bennington Center for the Arts, Hubbard Hall Small Gallery, Lapham Gallery, The Gallery Upstairs at 111, and Gallery 668. Peck has been commissioned by several publishers, including Random House, Penguin Putnam, Avon Books, New American Library, and Pinnacle Publishing.

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