Leslie Shiels grew up in Cincinnati and has been painting for most of her life.  She received her training from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning.  She earned a BFA from the University in 1974.  She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums throughout the United States.  Her work has become a part of numerous corporate and private collections, most of which are located in Cincinnati.   Art critics have described her paintings as lush, powerful, and skillful works of art.  She has used her painting as a vehicle to solve problems as they relate to life experiences.  She has traveled and painted in many locations, some of her favorite spots being France, Colorado, and Connecticut. 

Exhibited

2020 Cincinnati Art Galleries ‘Atmospherics’

2019 Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH, Creative Roots of Ohio: Artistic Talent from the Permanent Collection (Nov. 27, ’19 – Mar. 8, ’20)

2019 Zanesville Museum of Art 74th Ohio Annual Exhibition, Zanesville, Ohio through September 2019

2018 Cincinnati Art Gallery Panorama XXXIII to benefit The Cincinnati Art Museum ^

2018 82nd Midyear Exh. Butler Institiute of American Art, , Youngstown, Ohio

2018 Return to the Garden, CAG, curated: Daniel Brown Cincinnati, Ohio (G)

2017 Cincinnati Art Galleries, ‘Sight of Hand’  September – October ’17 Cincinnati, OH ^ (1)

2017 Decorative Arts Museum of Ohio, Lancaster, OH “3 Voices”

2016 Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH “3 Voices: Conversations on Life & Conflict ^ (1)

2016 Evansville Museum of Art, Evansville, IN,”At the River’s Bend: Our Place on the Ohio”

2016 Attleboro Museum of Art, Attleboro, MA, “Patterns”

2016 Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH, 80th MidYear Exhibition,

2015 Richmond Art Museum, My Art Story: Building a Collection  Richmond IN (G)

2015 Cincinnati Art Galleries, Panorama 2015, Cincinnati, OH ^ (G)

2015-16 Exhibition 280, Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV ^

2015 Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK (G)

2015 Wilding Museum, Touring BIA Exhibit, Solvang, CA (G)

2015 Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Touring BIA Exhibit, Tucson, AZ (G)

2014-15 Museum of the Gulf Coast, Touring BIA exhibit, Port Arthur, TX

2014 Alexandria Museum of Art, 27th September Competition, Alexandria, LA ^ ** 

2014 Birds in Art 2014, Woodson Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin ^  **

2014 “Dizygotic” Custom House Museum, Clarksville, TN ^ (1)

2013 Hilton Head Biennial, Hilton Head S.C. *

2013 “Dizygotic”, Cincinnati Art Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio ^ (1)

2012 Ohio Annual, Zanesville Museum of Art, Zanesville, Ohio ^ *

2012 ‘Family Portraits’, Claypool Young Gallery, Morehead Univ.,Morehead, KY (G)

2012 Birds in Art 2012, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausau Wisconsin * ^

2012 Customs House Museum, National Juried Exh. , Clarksville, Tennessee ^ ** (1)

2012 Butler Institute of American Art 76th Mid-Year Exh, Youngstown Ohio *

2011 Zanesville Museum of Art, Ohio Annual, Zanesville Ohio

2011 “Fresh Ohio”, Bowling Green State University, Ohio ^ (G)

2011 Butler Institute of American Art, Mid-Year Exh. Youngstown, Ohio

2011 Ohio Arts Council Riffe Gallery, “Portraits in Ohio”, Columbus, Ohio (G)

2010 Ft Wayne Museum of Art: Contemporary Realism, Ft.Wayne, Indiana  ^

2010 Zanesville Museum Biennial, Zanesville Ohio

2010 “Birds in Art” , Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin ^

2010 Texas National. Austin State Univ., Nacogdoches, Texas

2009 Art from the Heartland, Indianapolis Art Center Biennial, Indiana

2009 ‘Leslie Shiels: BirdHeads’, Carnegie Center for the Arts, Covington Kentucky * (1)

2009 “Birds in Art”, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin *

2009 Chautauqua National Exh., VACI of Chautauqua Institute, New York

2009 46th Annual Exhibition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, Louisiana **

2009 Halpert Biennial, Appalachian State Univ. Turchin Arts Center, Boone, N.C.

2008 September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana *

2008 VACI National Exhibition, Strohl Arts Center, Chautauqua Institution, New York

2008 Butler Institute of American Art, Mid-Year Exhibition, Youngstown, Ohio *

2008 Harrisburg Art Assoc. International Juried Exh., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

2008 Los Angeles Fine Arts Show, Los Angeles California *

2007 “Intercessions” Cincinnati Art Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio (1)

2007 Exhibition 280 Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia ^ ** (G)

2007 “A” is for Art, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio **

2006 Images 2006 Robeson Gallery, Penn. State University, College Park, Pennsylvania ^

2006 “Leslie Shiels” Harcum Gallery, Boyd Arts Center, Wilmington College, Ohio (1)

2005/06 “Leslie Shiels-Cultural Connections” Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio ^ (1)

2005 “Shiels-Paintings of Bermuda”, Masterworks Museum, Hamilton, Bermuda ^ (1)

2005 “DaVinci Reinterpreted” Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio ^ (commemorative publication)

2005 “Leslie Shiels”, Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Hamilton, Ohio (1)

2004 OH+5 , The Dairy Barn Arts Center, Athens, Ohio (G)

2004 “Shiels: Guardians”, Art Association of Harrisburg, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (1)

2003 ‘Shiels: Recent Paintings” Cincinnati Art Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio (1)

2002 28th Juried Exhibition, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pennsylvania ^

2002 29th Juried Annual, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, Louisiana **

2002 “Guardians Against Ignorance” Aronoff Center Weston Art Gallery, Cinti, Ohio (1)

2001 65th Mid-Year Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio **

2000 “Show of Chance” Cincinnati Art Galleries, Cincinnati, Ohio (1)

1998 “Cups” Toni LaBoiteaux Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio (1)

1996 “Leslie Shiels” Sally Harvey Fine Arts, Aspen. Colorado (1)

1995 “Shiels/Heyl” Fitton Center for the Arts, Hamilton, Ohio (2)

1994 “Shiels: Dog Days” Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, Ohio (1)

1993 18th Biennial Regional, Southbend Regional Art Museum, Southbend, Indiana

1992 “American Obsession” Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, Wisconsin

1991 “September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana**

1990 “Shiels: Hounds of Summer” Birckhead Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio (1)