LESLIE DONAHUE
Artist Statement
I seek references from unusual places. Advertisements, screenshots from television, blurry images from online marketplaces, and other snapshots of the world around me. Mundane yet surreal images are collected like visions, carefully analyzed and replicated, reflecting a narrative of my specific time and place in the world. Throughout the personal, political, abstract, and representative, I document the world with a careful appreciation for beauty in the unexpected.
~Leslie Donahue, 2025
Leslie Donahue (b. California, 1996) is a multimedia artist working mainly in acrylic and oil paint. Specializing in strange, atmospheric scenes and images imbued with symbolism, there is tension between what is revealed to the viewer and what is hidden. Leslie has participated in group shows such as a 2022 “Fresh Faces” exhibition (Abigail Ogilvy Gallery) and a 2023 National Prize Show (Cambridge Art Association) as well as a two-month-long painting residency in Mexico City. They currently live and paint in the Boston, Massachusetts area.
CV
Education
2021- 2023
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA, Bachelors of Fine Arts Program in Painting
2017-2019
Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA
Professional Experience
2022- 2026
Painting Instructor, Arlington Center for The Arts, Arlington, MA
2019, 2024
Cemetery Restoration Intern, Epoch Preservation, Ipswich, MA
Residencies
2023
Mexico City Fellowship, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Grants and Awards
2025
Anne Briggs Artist Award, Arlington Center for the Arts
2023
Juror’s Choice Award, Cambridge Art Association, National Prize Show
Dean Nimmer Auction Award, Massachusetts College of Arts and Design
2022
Foundation Painting Award, Massachusetts College of Arts and Design
2018
Excellence in Core Curriculum Grant, Montserrat College of Art
Publications
2025
Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences, Issue 4, “Reflections”
Group Exhibitions
2023
National Prize Show, Cambridge Art, Association, Cambridge, MA
Ashes: Art of the Unkempt, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
Birthed in the Bathhouse, Queer Artist Collective of Massart, Boston, MA
Massart Auction 2023, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
2022
Fresh Faces, Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA
All School Show, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
2020
Small Works Show, Porter Mill Gallery, Beverly, MA
2019
Annual Crane Estate Art Show: Earth, Wind, Fire, & Water, Ipswich, MA
Social Media
Tumblr - @lesliedonahue (most updated)
Instagram - @leslie.donahue
Further Inquries
For all inquiries or to purchase artwork, please contact lesliedonahue@gmail.com
Instagram - @leslie.donahue
Further Inquries
For all inquiries or to purchase artwork, please contact lesliedonahue@gmail.com
