Leslie Nix is a Los Angeles, CA-based artist whose use of light, color, and texture are reflections of her experiences moving through the world. After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in art by the age of 19, Leslie set off in her ‘71 Ford pickup, traveling through the US, painting and selling her works. Her wanderlust extended to spans of time spent visiting over 40 countries, gathering inspiration, and establishing studios in Berlin, the Czech Republic, Chicago, North Dakota, and finally taking up permanent residence in Los Angeles. Her living and studio spaces must be visually stimulating and filled with objects she finds on her travels or in a special location—souvenirs—or pieces that feel like old friends. Leslie is intrigued by things that hold memories, time, or the traces of somebody’s hands. Objects that emphasize form over function are of great interest to Nix.
Nix’s process relies on a meditative practice, with an emphasis on the physical creation of the works, which she views as more important than the end result. Nix works in the mediums of wax, oil paint, cast bronze, and glass. Her travels, including her experiences in Africa, have influenced her recent body of work.
Current Exhibition: Encaustic Impressions of Mpumalanga, February 2023–March 2023, COUP D’ETAT Los Angeles
Encaustic impressions of Mpumalanga, an exhibition of new works by Leslie Nix, will be on display at COUP D’ETAT Los Angeles from February 14th through March 15th. This series of paintings is influenced by Leslie’s most recent trip to Africa, along with explorations of Thailand’s Andaman Sea. Using hot and cold wax with oil paints, Leslie explores light and color through a fragmented lens, depicting topiaries and reef scapes. All of Leslie’s works are about how peaceful and alive she feels alone, whether deep at sea or surrounded by expansive lands, swimming in the company of underwater light refractions or held by sub-Saharan sunsets—moments of being at one with life.
