Leslie Peck

Biography 

Leslie Anne Peck is a native of Buffalo, New York. She moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art. In 1987. Leslie spent a year studying art in Italy at the Scuola di Lorenzo De Medici, in Florence and subsequently apprenticed in Rome with renowned illustrator Alessandro Biffignandi. Leslie began a freelance career in romance book cover illustration in 1988. Her career took off in romance painting and she has enjoyed two decades of success paining in that genre. While still enjoying a tremendous success in the publishing field, Leslie’s love for portraiture and animals has found it’s expression in her most recent oil paintings. After moving to the scenic Saratoga Springs area of New York, Peck has been inspired by her surroundings and has further expanded her repertoire with an intense love and study of farm animals and their environment. Using her extensive background in portrait painting, Peck is able to create classic, yet bold portraits of these beautiful animals which are packed with stately ambiance. Utilizing strong contrasts in the light and shadow, the results are figures that jump off the canvas.

Artist Statement

Painting farm animals and still lifes of the products of our region is one of my great passions. Each animal has a noble purpose in this world and I try to bring out the subtle beauty and simplicity of their nature. I have found the same eloquence in the vegetables, eggs or even the bread that I try to portray in my oil paintings. The great philosopher Rumi put it well when he wrote “Every object, every being, is a jar full of delight”