Biography

Leslie Neumann is a professional artist based in Aripeka, Florida, whose luminous encaustic landscapes bridge the space between abstraction and representation — seductive in their beauty, alive with a sense of place and discovery.

Working in encaustic (hot beeswax), Neumann builds richly layered paintings inspired by the coastal wilderness that surrounds her. More than three decades ago, she left New York City for a small fishing village on the Gulf of Mexico, and that move proved transformative — awakening a deep connection to the natural world that has defined her work and her life ever since.

That same passion for the land extends beyond the studio. A committed conservation activist, Neumann has worked alongside community partners to permanently protect thousands of acres of pristine coastal wilderness. Through sustained negotiations with private and public agencies, she and her fellow advocates have secured connected corridors and greenways that will endure for generations.

Neumann holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the California College of Arts in Oakland and a Master of Arts in Painting from New York University. Her work has been exhibited in 92 shows over the past three decades and resides in the permanent collections of nine museums and more than 75 corporate collections nationwide — among them Nissan Motor Corporation, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Baylor College of Medicine, the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, and 43 Firebirds Restaurants across the United States. She is also the recipient of numerous grants and awards in recognition of her artistic contributions.