A Sublime Endeavor
Leslie Green
Main Gallery
November 19 – January 9, 2027
Opening Reception: Thursday November 19, 5:30 – 7 PM
About the Exhibition
Corvallis artist Leslie Green is interested in what happens when the physical world and the unconscious meet in the imagination. The paintings in A Sublime Endeavor grow from an intuitive engagement with forces both seen and unseen. Trees, geological formations, the movement of the earth, and the mysterious inner life of the body find their way into the work—not as subjects to be depicted, but as sensations, memories, and impulses translated into paint.
About the Artist
Leslie Green was born in Los Angeles, California, into a creative family. In her late teens, she began studying ceramics with potter, artist, and art therapist Esther James. What began as a student-teacher relationship developed into a decades-long mentorship and friendship that continued until James’ death in 2018.
Green received a B.A. in Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts from UCLA. Following years of intensive study and practice in ceramics, she established Terraclay Studio in Santa Monica, California. For twelve years, she designed and produced architectural-scale ceramic work for individuals, hotels, and corporations throughout the country.
In 1991, Green moved to Portland, Oregon, where her ceramic practice evolved toward sculptural abstract wall pieces. After relocating to Philomath in 1993, she began teaching ceramics at Linn-Benton Community College while continuing her studio practice. Her raku and soda-fired work was exhibited and sold through galleries throughout Oregon.
About a decade ago, Green made a significant shift from ceramics to abstract painting. After many years in clay, she felt she had expressed what she needed to express in that medium and was drawn to the greater freedom, movement, and immediacy of paint. Today she works primarily in acrylic and mixed media in her wooded studio, exploring color, line, shape, gesture, and the intuitive possibilities of abstraction.