Ash Leslie

Ash Leslie is an abstract painter based on the coast south of Sydney. After nearly a decade in graphic design, Leslie discovered a renewed intensity for painting while on maternity leave with her first daughter. The work was made in quiet intervals, often in the margins of the day. Early exhibitions in local cafés and businesses met with encouragement, and from these beginnings, a practice took shape: rigorous, intimate, and unmistakably her own.

“Working intuitively I loose myself in translucent washes of oil paint allowing my subconscious to guide me. As the impression emerges, I allow the piece to rest in a place somewhere between recognition and obscurity. This action of embracing chance and discovery is fundamental to my practice. Themes of motherhood and the natural world dominate my practice and fulfilling my desire to connect with something beyond the physical world.”

Recognised across Australia, including finalist selections in the Paddington Art Prize, Flow Art Prize, and Signature Art Prize, Leslie has quickly established herself as a singular voice in contemporary abstraction.