Oil on Canvas
Maia Leisz
New to ENCORE 2024!
About The Artist
I’ve always been creative, and upon realizing by the age of 8 that my hair would not grow long enough for me to become a mermaid, I determined to be an artist. Growing up in the wilds of northwestern Montana without electricity, I drew, painted, and read voraciously. There were plenty of opportunities to be creative. I loved to design my own clothes and knitted or drew through many of my high school classes while keeping my grades above reproach.
I lived with my grandparents for my senior year of high school, and the principal of the school turned me loose on the new cafeteria to paint murals. They’re still there to this day, being some of my first grand format pieces. I did several others in a private home in England and lost all fear of working large.
I majored in Art at UC Santa Cruz, doing a semester abroad in the South of France. There I was offered an art scholarship at the Marchutz School of Painting and Drawing in Aix-en-Provence. I loved the structured instruction, life drawing, and plein air excursions into the countryside. I reveled in the culture, language, and history of France, and made life changing friendships and “family” that I’ll forever be grateful for. I lived abroad for several years, in France, Italy, and England.
I’ve been a working artist for most of my adult life, buying my first home with the proceeds from my line of hand painted silks. After marrying my husband, wilderness photographer Charles Phillips (who studied with Ansel Adams), I switched to oils. With the support of my wonderful collectors and Charles’s aid in marketing and provision of reference material, we were able to build a studio in the Idaho Panhandle, supporting the family entirely with my art.
While my work is my own unique style, having a linear quality from the silk painting days, I am most deeply influenced by the impressionists. I love complex, vibrant color and mix my palette from the primaries. I strive to paint in a way that evokes poetry more than prose…the feeling of a place rather than a literal interpretation. I strive to capture both the energy and peacefulness of nature through small brushes and energetic brushwork. My goal is to create art that fits comfortably in any decor and is timeless in nature, outlasting passing fads and styles. As with any language, there is always more to learn, and more to say… I love being an artist!
I strongly feel that in a world of relatively transitory possessions, our art should rise above, speaking to the heart and creating a legacy that we appreciate enough to hand down to future generations. If art touches you on an emotional level, it is a wise investment. You will enjoy it every day for the rest of your life. I hope that my work brings joy to my collectors and adds some much-needed happiness and beauty to the world!
My work consists mainly of large format landscapes in oils which I execute on a burnt sienna ground, giving an underlying warmth to each painting regardless of color scheme. I use small #2 & #4 filberts brushes and thick paint, creating an energized and textural brushwork outlined by the underpainting.
My paintings are what I call linear impressionism. I studied in the South of France and was greatly influenced by the complex colors of the Impressionists. Not unlike good wine, complex colors pair well with nearly anything and creates a timeless quality to the work rather than dating it. There is also a strong element of the linear forms of the Arts and Crafts movement. I use color and small brush strokes for an energizing effect.
I mix my colors mainly from the primaries, using a warm and cool of each, plus white and burnt sienna. This creates a harmonious palette that is complex yet bright and happy, as I want my pieces to convey the joy I get creating them.
