Biography

Since childhood, Jessie Leasure has been creatively engaged. To hone her craft, she received her Bachelor’s degree from New College of Florida and her MFA from Jacksonville University (completed during the Covid pandemic). Her graduate thesis work, which is featured in the portfolio section, is entitled Un-Censorship: Suspended Between Concealment and Revelation.

Working in a loose-realistic style, Leasure primarily uses acrylic and drawing materials to convey emotional content drawn from personal experience. To this end, she employs the human figure’s incredible capacity for expression, especially through body language. She balances specificity against ambiguity because nuance conveys more than absolutes.

Leasure has received numerous grants and awards including the Jane Vee Memorial Scholarship, Women Contemporary Artist’s Scholarship, and the exclusive FAAE STARS: State Teacher/Artist Residency. She is represented by NoMa Gallery in Ocala, is featured in many private collections, and has exhibited in shows and galleries throughout the state of Florida (USA). Currently, she maintains a Florida-based studio, teaches art full-time, and is serving as the Director for the Lecanto School of the Arts.