Leigh's Bio

HOW TO PRONOUNCE MY FIRST NAME: 'Lee'

FUN FACT: I was dropped as a baby — true story.

AGE: Age 38, Gemini

STATUS: Single with 1.5 eggs left

ORIGIN: Born on the south side of Chicago, IL. Have lived in Atlanta, Detroit and Seattle.

EDUCATION: BA from California State University, Fullerton

CAREER: Graphic design, Marketing and Advertising

THE MID LIFE CRISIS: I have been painting my whole life but have only started showing and selling my work since late 2003.

LIKES: Coffee, ancient history, Tenacious D, sarcasm used effectively, romance and architecture.

DISLIKES: Cauliflower, loud people on cell phones, mornings I can¹t sleep in, and rhyming poetry.

MY PAINTING STYLE: Whimsical but clever. Pop art with a fine art sensibility. People always comment about the great color palettes I use. I think I am the best at painting people. Graphic design has heavily influenced my work.

WHY I paint on corrugated cardboard: For years and years I have painted on canvas. Two things always bugged me about it. 1) The expense. 2) The texture of the canvas slows down the brush. So within the last couple of years I discovered painting on corrugated cardboard. It¹s cheaper and faster.

WHY I don't sign my name on the front of my paintings: Because I find it distracting from the visual storytelling and frankly, I am not that well known yet. I sign all of my paintings on the back for now.

ART SHOWS: Memphis Bar at the Santora, The Lab/Antimall-Costa Mesa, Bistango Gallery Restaurant, AIGA Code Orange, Square Blue Gallery, Alta Coffee House, Art-O-Mat machine/MOCA Los Angeles and throughout the country. I donate many paintings to charities including the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and Orangewood Children¹s Foundation.

MY LEVEL OF GEEKDOM: In my spare time, I write and present spoken word/non-rhyming poetry in coffeehouses and bookstores — have been doing so since 1998.