LEIGH OVIATT

ARTIST STATEMENT

Through bold color choices and innovative techniques, Leigh Oviatt pushes the boundaries of contemporary fiber art from her Santa Fe studio. Her large-scale textile pieces emerge through intuitive exploration, combining rich textures with vibrant hues inspired by organic shapes and colors found in the natural environment. Each hand woven piece invites viewers into a tactile world where traditional craft meets modern expression. Her soft, handmade work is created in a state of flow and meditation, serving as a counterpoint to society's fascination with AI and fast paced living.

BIO

Leigh is a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in a family of artists, farmers, and educators on a cattle ranch in Bozeman, Montana. She has been immersed in art since she was a small child. She moved to sunny New Mexico after 20 years on the rugged Oregon Coast in 2018.

Throughout her life she has explored weaving, painting, jewelry fabrication, darkroom and street photography, film production and set design, and has degrees in Landscape Design and Film. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to found a successful landscape design/build company in Oregon with an accompanying succulent nursery, and years later to open an integrative wellness center with the first float tank on the Oregon coast.

Leigh has shown her photography and fiber art in shows and galleries across Washington, Oregon, Texas, California, and New Mexico. She was a Harwood Art Center SURFACE: Emerging Artist of New Mexico in 2023, received an Artist Inc. Fellowship in 2025, and is a member of New Mexico Women in the Arts. She currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she creates hand woven tapestries, designs and build gardens, makes photos, and spends time exploring with her crazy rescue animals.