Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Leslie.
Hi Mary, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Long before I ever stepped foot in the Rocky Mountains, I was a Georgia kid drawing horses on any scrap of paper I could find. My formal path began with a year studying graphic design at the Savannah College of Art and Design, but life had a more scenic route in mind and I became a college dropout. A simple request from a friend to paint a nursery mural turned into a 15-year journey across the Southeast, where my studio became pediatric wards, public libraries, and community centers and corporate headquarters. It was a memorable experience as I lugged scaffolding and ladders from job to job in the back of my Chrysler LeBaron convertible – even in the winter. And yes, it does get quite cold in Georgia!
When my family moved to the small town of Madison, Georgia, my priorities shifted. Horses finally entered my life—a childhood dream realized—and with that came a desire to trade large-scale commercial murals for the intimacy of fine art studio work.
Then came 2019 and the wild decision that changed everything. My husband, son, and I pulled up roots, packed up our wood shop, art studio, barn, pets, and a small herd of horses and donkeys, and set out for 75 undeveloped acres in Westcliffe, Colorado.
We started with nothing but raw ground. Between navigating rural life and the unexpected curveballs of the pandemic years, our “temporary” living situation stretched into six years in a camper and bunkhouse. To keep painting, I leased a 1,500-square-foot storefront in Historic downtown Salida CO. After months of grueling renovations, Mary Leslie Studio and Gallery opened in early 2021.
Living and working out West changed my art forever. Suddenly surrounded by the landscape I loved and the Western artists I’d admired from afar for decades, something clicked. Cowboys, wildlife, and the grit of the frontier became my obsession. Those years in Salida pushed my skills further than ever before, launching my work into some of the highest-regarded Western art exhibitions in the country.
Now, as our forever home and private studio reach completion on our Westcliffe ranch, I’ve closed the Salida storefront to bring my business home. Owning a gallery was a vital chapter but never the dream.
My true passion is everything western and wild and putting it on canvas. Today, I’m proud to create from my mountain studio, showing at premier national events and represented by benchmark institutions like The Broadmoor Galleries in Colorado Springs and The Marshall Gallery in Scottsdale. My work will be shown at the upcoming “Young Guns” Part of the Coors Western at the National Western Stock Show. and also CowgirlUP! Art from the other side, at The Sigler Western Museum in Wickenburgh AZ.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Over the past six years, our move to Colorado has been an extraordinary exercise in grit and perseverance. When We left Georgia, our friends all told us we were very brave – We didn’t understand the comment. We do now! We’ve lived out of a camper, launched three family businesses from tight quarters, and are now building our dream home with our own hands. Embracing rural Western life hasn’t always been easy, but we’re finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Moving forward, we look forward to spending less time striving to survive and more time enjoying the life we’ve worked so hard to build.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
As a Western artist based in Colorado, my work is deeply rooted in the land and life around me. Living in a ranching community naturally drew me toward figurative cowboy portraiture, while our travels across neighboring Western states sparked a deep affinity for desert flora and wildlife. Though best known for my animal subjects, my focus has expanded to capturing the narrative connections between species within an ecosystem. Whether dramatic in scale—a nod to my background as a muralist—or touched with a bit of dry humor, I aim to bring a sense of life, scale, and storytelling to every piece.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I define success not by prestige, but by alignment: the ability to build a life around what truly moves me. Living in my dream environment amidst the Rocky Mountains and translating the beauty of the West onto canvas is a profound God given gift. That others resonate with my work enough to support this journey is a blessing I never take for granted. To paint what stirs my soul and call it my life’s work—that, to me, is the true meaning of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.marylesliestudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/maryleslieart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maryleslieart/
