Hello. My name is Leigh Gusterson. I love to be outdoors in nature, which is why painting "plein aire" is my passion. Since my 2 daughters have grown and gone out on their own, I have finally gotten to move out of Taos "proper", up into the mountains to my adobe home in Llano San Juan. Most all of the paintings created this past year were painted in this new neighborhood, some from my own yard.

This year I am very excited to have set up a beautiful 30' yurt on my property, in which to show paintings in. I am calling this new showspace, the ArtYurt.

Other things I enjoy outdoors are: hiking, camping, gardening, growing food, landscaping with rocks, bicycling, riding horses and walking with the dogs. I like to work with my hands. I'm not terribly clever with the computer, which is why this website is updated only once a year. I do look at email at least 4 days out of 7 in a week, please do not be discouraged if my reply is delayed. I do not do facebook, and most of the time I will decline attending social events in town to be home working in my garden. This spring, I am very excited about setting up a yurt on my property to be used as a studio and showroom space.

Please call or email me to set up an appointment to see my paintings and new digs!
leegee@newmex.com or 575-587-1990

Blessings and joy,

Leigh

Leigh Gusterson was born in 1964, and raised in the suburbs just outside of NYC in New Jersey. Leigh has been drawing since she could pick up a pencil, and won her first art award in Kindergarten. In high school, she was fortunate to have JP Osborne for an art class teacher. Osborne is an accomplished Hudson River School painter, who inspired Leigh to do great works in pen and ink, illustration and clay. Eventually she was invited to Osbornes own studio where Leigh was taught traditional foundations in plein aire oil painting. Though Gusterson later attended Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, she attributes most all of her basic training to working with Osborne.

Leigh Gusterson moved to Taos, New Mexico in 1990 with her then 2 year old daughter. She became immediately involved with the art community there, and florished. Painting outdoors in New Mexico drastically changed her palette from the subdued, green-gray tones of New Jersey, to much bolder, colorful, looser landscapes. Walt Gonske, Jerry Jordan, Barbara Zaring and Alyce Frank were her greatest influences and mentors.

For 20 years, Gusterson has exhibited and sold work in the annual Taos Fall and Spring Art Festivals, and was the poster artist for Fall Arts 2003. She has had many one- woman shows in the late Taos galleries "Creative Expressions" with Kay Decker, and the "Terrie Bennett Gallerie" with Terrie and Margaret Watson. Leigh is a frequent contributor to benefit auctions of the many fine causes of Taos:

"Russian Nites" Auction for Taos Art Museum
"Fandango" for the Taos Historical Museums
"Miniature show" for the Millicent Rogers Museum
"Quick Draw" for Taos Center for the Arts
"Toast of Taos" Holy Cross Hospital
"A Taos Experience" Habitat for Humanity
Taos Jewish Center
Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center
KRZA radio
"Miniatures and More" Albuquerque Art Museum

Leigh has participated and sold out for the last 8 years in the annual Mountain Oyster Club Show in Tucson AZ

Leigh Gusterson has been teaching week long painting workshops since 1999, starting thru the Taos Institute of Art, and now on her own.

She currently shows from these galleries:

Jane Hamilton Fine Art in Tucson, AZ - 520-529-4886
Wilde Meyer Gallery in Scottdale, AZ - 480-945-2323
Adelante! Gallery Oklahoma City, OK - 214-587-7686
Adelante! Gallery and Teahouse, Ashland, OR - 541-488-0290
Agora Gallery, Chelsea, New York City, NY - 212-226-4151
(Agora-gallery.com and art-mine.com)
ArtSpectrum online publication and from her own show space on the High Road to Taos, NM