The Geology of Memory

The landscape does not begin with a view, but with a feeling of weight and texture. For Leslie Shows, the formative years in Juneau, Alaska, act as a silent, heavy presence beneath the surface of her later work. Born in 1977 in Manteca, California, her perspective was shaped by the rugged, elemental realities of the North. This early exposure to the raw edges of the earth informs a practice that moves away from simple representation toward something more visceral. She does not merely paint a scene; she reconstructs the physical tension between land, sky, and water.

Her formal training provided the tools to translate these impressions into complex structures. She earned a B.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999 and later an M.F.A. from the California College of the Arts in 2006. These years marked a transition from the literal to the layered. What began as mixed-media collages depicting abstracted landscapes evolved into a deep investigation of mineral textures and geologic features. The work seeks to visualize the energetic waves—both scientific and metaphysical—that exist in the spaces between massive landforms and the atmosphere.

Materiality and Form

The evolution of her technique reveals a shift from the assembled to the elemental. Her recent paintings rely on a sophisticated use of mixed media to mimic the grit and strata of the earth. She focuses on the way light interacts with mineral surfaces, creating a sense of depth that feels excavated rather than applied. This approach has earned her recognition through several significant honors and residencies:

• Artadia New York Residency (2012)
• Bemis Center for the Arts (2011)
• Millay Colony for the Arts (2010)
• Artadia Award (2009)
• Eureka Fellowship, Fleishhacker Foundation (2008)
• Printmaking Fellowship, Kala Art Institute (2007)
• SECA Art Award, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2006)
• Tournesol Award, Headlands Center for the Arts (2006)

Presence in the Contemporary Landscape

Her exhibitions have moved through the most significant galleries in the American West and beyond. From the Jack Hanley Gallery in San Francisco and New York to the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, her work occupies space with a quiet, tectonic force. Solo shows such as Carbon Freeze and The New Dust highlight a preoccupation with the remnants of the earth and the processes of sedimentation.

The permanence of her contribution is reflected in the collections that hold her work. Her paintings are included in the collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. By bridging the gap between the physical reality of geology and the abstraction of human perception, she continues to expand the boundaries of what a landscape painting can communicate.