Leslie Masters loves color. 

Her goal as an artist is to capture the feeling of light as it surrounds us. Monet is her source.  Her vehicle is acrylic paint. She adds light–neon or incandescent–for more glow. Sometimes she creates rich colors by painting on the back of Plexiglas. Her current paintings explore abstract color glow from the landscape around her studio, as well as the mountains and canyons of Europe and the American West. 

The search for a direct artistic response to light has led the artist to make many color experiments.  She has spent years developing her knowledge of color theory and teaches that theory to painting students, so they can use it in a practical way to solve painting problems.

One of the discoveries the artist made was the fact that scientifically correct color relationships were not accurate visually, and therefore, most accepted theories were not of much help to painters.  She developed a three dimensional, visually correct color wheel. She uses this wheel as a basis for her teaching, as well as a book she has written on the subject called, “How to Paint a Rainbow”.

Leslie is well known in the Detroit, Michigan area as both a color painter and a teacher of painting and color theory. She has taught at colleges and art schools including Center for Creative Studies, University of Michigan Dearborn, Mercy College in Detroit, and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. She has been on the faculty of the BBAC since 1969 and served as the assistant director there for 11 years.

The artist has had numerous one person shows, both in Michigan and in Ohio, and has participated in many invitational and group shows.  She is represented in public and private collections throughout the country. Leslie has a B.A. degree in Art from Indiana University, and an M.A. degree in Art from the University of Michigan.

Artist Statement

I love color. My goal as a painter is to explore colors that vibrate next to one another and create visual excitement.  I am inspired by the feeling of light and color in the natural environment, so I get my inspiration from places I paint when I am outside.  I don’t paint a replica of nature, but re-create the sense of place and the feeling I get when I am there.  I try to share this experience with the viewer, in my paintings.