Leisa is a figurative
and abstract painter with an interest in showing
character, psychological and spiritual depth in
her work. "A person's physical
appearance
often belies or hides character and personality.
I hope to reveal a truth or hidden beauty. In some
of my paintings, animals stand in for humans. She
has an abiding interesting in exploring space as
inspiration for creative reverie.
Leisa was born
in Saint Louis, Missouri and earned an Associate’s
degree in Art
at Meramec Community College in Kirkwood,
MO. She joined the U.S. Army in 1978 and was accepted
into Military Intelligence. She trained as a German
linguist. In 1986, she married, left the military
and moved to Germany. In Berlin, she earned her
Bachelor's degree in art history, and exhibited
and sold her paintings in local galleries. In Germany,
she ran a business conducting tours of Berlin art
museums for English speakers.
Following her husband's
death in 1996, she returned to the United States.
In 2000, she graduated from Vermont College of
the Fine Arts with an MFA in Visual Art. Leisa
bought a house in Fort Worth and worked three years
for Golden Artists' Colors teaching workshops and
giving technical lectures. From 2001-2006, she
taught art history, art appreciation, drawing and
painting at North Lake College in Irving, Texas
and Collin County Community College in Plano and
Frisco, Texas. She has exhibited her work in commercial
and university galleries and juried exhibitions
in Europe and the United States.
In 2001, she won
the Raucus Science Club Award at the Art in the
Metroplex Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. In
2005 she won a ribbon in the Colored Pencil Society
of America’s Finer Points Exhibition in Irving,
Texas. Leisa has received the Excellence in Teaching
Award for Adjunct Faculty at North Lake College
for 2005-2006. The Excellence in Teaching Award
is a competitive award bestowed by the faculty
of North Lake to the best adjunct professor of
the year.
Leisa and her fiancé,
Jay Kalbrener reside in Prairie Crossing (a nature
conservation community) of Grayslake, Illinois.
Contact her at leisacorbett@yahoo.com
Leisa Corbett, 2000
