Billington named artist of the month for November

Tsuga Gallery announces artist of the month for November, Leslie Billington. As a child growing up around Lubbock, Texas, Leslie found, at an early age, that she had to be a creator. She would see things like bugs, cracks in the sidewalk, and virtually anything with a shape. The memory of these things would pester her until she could give them a life of their own, demanding that she create something of beauty with them. This put her imagination on high alert, looking differently at common things. Later in life, Billington moved to Folsom, Calif., and was fortunate enough to spend lots of time with her uncle who had a studio where he painted. She said she learned a great deal from her uncle, but he had a bad habit of taking over her paintings. Leslie is a mixed media artist, using watercolors and oil paints. She has had experience in print making - which she said was quite challenging - but her favorite is clay sculpture. Leslie said she took clay sculpting in college and found that it took hold of her imagination like nothing else and that it was extremely satisfying to work in 3-D. Billington said a lot of artists find a certain medium and stick with that medium throughout most of their art career. She said she likes to use all media, as she has had so many positive experiences with them. She has her own style of abstract art that, upon closer examination, you will find hidden faces, butterflies, and other objects. Her colors are bright and contrasting. Stop by Tsuga Gallery and check out her art. The Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.