Leigha Nicole moved to the San Luis Valley in 2005 from Point Reyes, California. Her career and professional education in dance, yoga and bodywork brought her to different parts of Asia from 1983-2009 which planted the seeds of artistic curiosity.

Dr. Ning Yeh, the Emmy-Award winning art professor has been her main influence and teacher in the Po Mo (throw ink) style of Hsieh-I Chinese Brush Painting, with whom she studied at UCLA, Cerritos and Coastline Colleges. She is a devoted student of Ning's and travels to study with him as much as possible.

She was a scenic painter for the Yani Forbidden City Concert Tour '97 in Beijing, China. Also, she painted scenery for and participated in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics '98 in Nagano, Japan. She has had several solo art shows in California and was the featured artist at the Shumei International Institute in Crestone, Colorado in 2014/2015.

Leigha's art is a combination of traditional Chinese Brush Painting, Japanese Sumi-e and western watercolor. Her work continues to be inspired by her training in traditional Japanese spiritual and cultural art forms. She has been a student of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism since 1990 as well as a student of both the Sogetsu and Ikenobu styles of Ikebana (flower arranging).

She is currently an avid practitioner of Chanoyu (tea ceremony) through the Urasenke lineage and continues her studies when possible with Sensei Minako Tsuji in Saratoga, California.

Throughly enchanted with the seasonal majestic beauty of Colorado, she is sure that the gorgeous scenery will energize her artwork for many years to come.

Leigha teaches small in-person Chinese Brush Painting workshops and classes at her studio in Crestone, Colorado and offers private and group classes online. To keep up-to-date with Leigha's painting workshops and classes, subscribe to her mailing list:

leighanicole@gmail.com.

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An Introduction to Brush Painting - A Free Virtual Workshop