Born in Duncan, British Columbia and growing up in Vancouver, Georgia Lesley took to the hills over 30 years ago, living and working in various small communities in B.C.’s interior.

In 1998 she settled in Siska, a small Native community in the majestic Fraser Canyon near Lytton, B.C. where she lived for 9 years before moving to Lytton. She now has an in-house studio and welcomes visitors. She has always been passionate in her portrayals of people and wildlife. Many of her works are inspired by her experiences with the First Nations people, and she holds the deepest respect for their culture and traditions.

A self-taught artist, her paintings are primarily acrylic on canvas or a combination of watercolor and colored pencils. As a professional artist and illustrator, Georgia has instructed art classes at schools in Lytton, B.C., through the Art Club in Merritt B.C., and Okanagan College in Summerland, B.C.

She was also part owner of the All People's Gallery in Lytton, 2000 - 2002. Georgia's interest in painting and drawing began at an early age, which means she has been painting and drawing in one form or another for over 40 years. Her inspirations have always been primarily the feelings and moods projected by people’s facial expressions and body language.

This interest has sometimes branched out to include the portrayal of animals. She finds certain animals exhibit and express particular character traits similar to humans, while successfully keeping the animals looking like animals and humans looking like humans. Georgia has been able to incorporate this love of expression and mood in the field of illustrating.

In the past 2 years her illustrations have been published by Scholastic Canada in a children’s book called I Live in the North, written by Margriet Ruurs. She has also had her illustrations published in two books by Lytton First Nations about Aboriginal health issues which were funded by Health Canada.

Her medium of choice for the past seven or eight years has been acrylic on canvas. For the past five years she has been working on a particular theme showing our similarities as people, and that though diverse, we are all of the same human family. Sharing the same physical characteristics and emotions, yet very unique in our individuality.

Georgia Lesley's works have been shown in galleries in the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years, and internationally at the Hotel Sonnenhoff in Germany and the Canadian Consulate in Switzerland.

Georgia welcomes inquiries and accepts commissions from individuals as well as corporations.

Memberships:

• The Canadian Portrait Academy
• Federation of Canadian Artists
• Canscaip (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators & Performers)
• CCBC (Canadian Children's Book Centre)
• SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)
• Vancouver Children’s Roundtable.

“It is my pleasure and passion to paint and draw. It is a gift that I am continually learning about and grateful for. In these latter years of my life, I have begun to understand and explore the responsibility of sharing this gift, to express the feelings which we all share."

Georgia Lesley CPA