About Lesley Long

Growing up in the Midwest was when Lesley first started to explore painting. Although she attended college and then the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, near home, she moved around over the years, living in Italy and in Bellingham, Washington, and now resides in New Mexico.

Her work is animal-themed and made in a versatile range of mediums: acrylics, oils, watercolors, prints, papier-mâché and ceramics. Chagall and Gauguin remain lasting influences on the way she builds color and shape into each piece.

The galleries on this site gather the paintings, ceramics, masks, tiles and works on paper made along the way.

Lesley Long's art has been shaped by a childhood spent in the Midwest, where painting first became part of her daily life. After college and study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she carried that early curiosity through a series of moves, including time in Italy and in Bellingham, Washington, before settling in New Mexico. Living in different landscapes and among different animals clearly informed the subjects she returns to again and again — farm creatures, birds, dogs, bulls, goats, pigs, and other wildlife that recur across her work.

Her subject matter is animal-themed, and she works across a versatile range of mediums including acrylics, oils, watercolors, prints, papier-mâché, and ceramics, so each piece can take whichever form suits the image. Chagall and Gauguin remain lasting influences on the way she builds color and shape within a composition. The galleries gathered on this site bring together paintings, ceramics, masks, tiles, and other works, offering a broad look at the creatures, styles, and materials that make up her ongoing practice.