LESLIE M. ROBERTSON

ARTIST BIO

Leslie M. Robertson is an Alaskan-based mixed-media and encaustic artist and board-certified art therapist whose work explores the intersections of time, nature, identity, and community. Drawing inspiration from the land, seasons, and lived experience, her practice embraces a wide range of media—including encaustic, found and natural materials, watercolor, acrylic, drawing, small altered books, and site-based installations—allowing for rich exploration and expression. Some pieces examine temporal layering and natural landscapes, reflecting on the textures of life and the passage of time, while others are more experimental, engaging with sensory experience, self-exploration, and personal identity.

Across these facets of her work, Robertson layers media, pigment, and found objects to create tactile, intimate surfaces that invite reflection on impermanence, presence, and connection. Her work is rooted in both visual storytelling and therapeutic presence, approaching art-making as both a process and a ritual. She has led workshops and collaborative projects that emphasize slow-making, a mindful, process-focused approach that values patience, intentional engagement with materials, and deep reflection, fostering connection with both the environment and participants.

Robertson holds a PhD in Art Therapy and integrates her professional experience into her community-based and collaborative work, bridging artistic exploration, ecological awareness, and human experience to create meaningful engagement for both viewers and participants.


ARTIST STATEMENT

My work explores the interplay between time, material, and experience, often at the intersection of the natural world, self-reflection, and community connection. Through encaustic, mixed media, altered books, and experimental forms, I investigate how layered surfaces and tactile textures can hold traces of lived experience, shifting perception, and the rhythms of nature. Some pieces emerge from temporal layering and landscapes, capturing impermanence and the passage of time, while others arise from sensory exploration and self-reflection, embracing play, intuition, and identity.

I have a deep interest in connecting with community, honoring the healing aspects of nature, and engaging in response art—art created in dialogue with experiences, places, and people. I strive to respect Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing, recognizing that learning how to walk this path is itself part of the response art I create. Through this process, I build connections with communities and translate those journeys into works that combine words, natural materials, and recycled materials. I explore how being in nature—the physical and mental challenge of it—shapes the act of creating, whether in situ or as a reflection afterward.
I approach making as a slow, deliberate process—melting wax, embedding materials, and allowing forms to unfold naturally. This practice of slow-making invites contemplation, encourages viewers to notice subtleties, and opens space for reflection on connection, presence, and the ongoing dialogue between material, experience, and community.