About

Leslee Ortega…

I create something every day. I paint with Coffee, a lovely organic material that produces monochromatic work that is soul soothing. In the fall of 2019, I painted a collection called “Canines in Coffee” where I deeply explored this medium. Some of these paintings are hanging at Last Gallery. I also love color, so in addition to Coffee, I work in bright color for my traditional pet portrait and fantasy floral work. I like the balance of both in my life!

I grew up in Portland, Oregon but spent most of my adult life in Southern California. There I had a career working for technology companies such as Hewlett Packard. But all along I had a strong yearning to call myself an artist and dreamed of finding the time to develop my passion and go out into the world with it.

At a certain age, I became determined to make it happen. I squeezed in fine art classes, dragging my small children with me when needed. Every Friday for three years, I trained classically at Mission Renaissance Fine Art Studio with Patricia Merrill. I used these new, exciting skills off and on for years in personal ways, making art for family, friends, school projects and volunteer organizations.

When an unexpected move from Southern California to McKinney, Texas happened in 2014, I knew I'd need to find my people somehow through art. One night, I decided to paint a colorful fauvist inspired pet portrait for my daughter, and things just started happening from there! Contemporary Pet Portraits were my first venture out into the art world, and they are something I still enjoy doing today as part of my art practice.

I love sharing my creativity with others and making whatever difference I can through work with The McKinney Art Club, McKinney Creative Community, The McKinney Art Studio Tour and Dwell with Dignity in Dallas.