Collection: Lori Leist

From Coast to Mountains: Painting the Natural World

Born in Washington, DC, then spending her childhood on the coast of South Carolina, Lori Leist’s earliest memories are of her great love for art and the beauty of her natural surroundings. Moving to Hawaii and California as an adult, she had the opportunity to work as a stained glass studio artist and teacher from 1996 to 2002.

A move back to South Carolina allowed her to attend the College of Charleston, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Studio Art. Having experienced a colorful life at the beach, and now in the mountains, Leist’s connection to our fertile Southern landscape has greatly influenced her work. Leist’s goal is to create vibrant landscape and floral paintings, in acrylic or oil, by working loosely, and incorporating larger brushstrokes into the work. Painting by emotion, and projecting bright colors onto the canvas, help her to relive the experiences that she has had in nature, which are still so vivid in her memories.