Leslie Broughton

Through my art, I strive to convey the wonder of the natural world. Art can evoke visceral feelings such as the sun’s warmth from a sandstone cliff. Just as music can elicit colors and patterns in its listeners’ minds, the visual arts also possess powers of synesthesia. Whether working in acrylics, watercolors, or pastels, I hope to tap into this phenomenon to engage the viewer. Art is a means of communicating with our fellows, akin to how aspen trees support each other through their intertwining roots. Art is a beautiful way that humans connect. The act of painting for me often involves a thoughtful rediscovery of a previously visited locale, with a desire to convey the special spirit of that place. Because the creative process for me involves “being in the painting," or total immersion in the subject, I work on one piece to completion before beginning another. The real world is my foundation, but its hidden magic can be revealed or magnified through art. I am fortunate to live in the high desert region where amazing discoveries exist for anyone who is looking. As a counterbalance to my southwest environment, I enjoy travelling to settings with abundant water such as the shores and rainforests of the Pacific northwest, which offer a different kind of energy. No matter where I am, nature inspires my imagination. In the words of artist Edvard Munch, “Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye...it also includes the inner pictures of the soul.

A Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting from the University of New Mexico solidified my early interest in making art. Additionally, I have an M.A. in Comparative Literature from UNM and an M.A. in Library Science from the University of Arizona. My focus on landscapes began with plein-air watercolor painting in the mountains east of Albuquerque. After many years as a resident of New Mexico, I moved to Arizona for spell, where I regularly worked in watercolors and acrylics, discovering the low desert in the hills and washes of the Tucson area. I returned to New Mexico where I have lived and worked for several years in Las Vegas, surrounded by the incomparable beauty and magic of the mountains, pine forests, and occasional rushing stream. With my business, Blue Mesa Gallery LLC, I belong to the Las Vegas Arts Council. Examples of my participation in local venues include past membership in the co-op gallery El Zócalo in Las Vegas; since 2017 I've shown in the annual New Mexico Painters’ Exhibition invitational hosted by New Mexico Highlands University; a solo exhibit in the Ray Drew Gallery at NMHU in 2019; Santa Fe Railyard Artisan Market exhibitor in 2024; exhibitor in Art Santa Fe 2025 at the convention center. My digital presence includes online exhibits through CaFÉ; site artist in Artspan.com; and exhibitor in ART UpClose and New York Optimist magazine. My goal is to continue to work with other artists and to promote our state’s artistic culture.

2-D, Drawing, Painting (all materials), Photography, Printmaking/Lithography