Leslie Baker has mastered an array of artistic styles and mediums, from representational watercolors and still lifes to rich Vineyard landscapes and large-format oil abstracts. A portrait artist with over 35 years of commissions, her career also includes 15 years as an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, alongside teaching art from elementary to college levels.

Baker's large-scale oils have evolved from representational subjects to abstract imagery rooted in color theory. She focuses on how colors interact, especially within monochromatic palettes. Her work invites viewers to engage with deliberate color choices selected with a deep knowledge of value relationships. Constantly experimenting with color and light, she nevertheless views her underlying style as a constant, describing herself as a “classical contemporary painter.”

After graduating from the Tyler School of Art, Baker was represented by Philadelphia's prestigious Rosenfeld Gallery. In 2013, she earned Master status at the Copley Society of Art in Boston. A year-round Martha's Vineyard resident since 1997, she was for years represented by the Shaw Cramer Gallery, and recently by A Gallery. Her large landscapes will be featured at The Granary Gallery in West Tisbury this summer.

“I have always made art. It is part of the rhythm of my days… a constant element and constantly evolving part of my life.”