“My ongoing exploration of nature, mysticism, science and spirituality informs the core of my art practice. I work with various organic materials and mixed media to create expressive sculptural works that speak to the cycles of life, memory, and the passage of time. The physicality of my chosen materials often guides my creative process, and the resulting sculptures embody my exploratory experiences as an artist. I often work with wax for its ethereal and translucent qualities, incorporating the depth of wax as an element of mystery that evokes serenity and dreamlike states of repose.”
Leslie Yolen lives and works in the Helderberg Mountains of Upstate New York. She has worked predominantly in clay and has recently taken to working in painting and sculpture as her prominent mediums.
Yolen boasts a lengthy career in arts education and recently retired from her position as the Arts Education Associate at the New York State Education Department. Prior to working with NYSED, Yolen taught Visual Art in public schools for over twenty years. During her career she has organized several artist residencies and operated a successful art studio business while directing a cooperative fine arts & craft gallery.
She has exhibited at The Arts Center of the Capitol Region, NY; Albany Center Gallery, NY; Laffer Gallery, NY; Emerge Gallery, NY; The Blooming Artist Gallery, NY; The Cooperstown Art Association, NY; Truro Center for the Arts, MA; Athens Cultural Center, NY; Mountain Gallery, NY; Saratoga Arts, NY; Courthouse Gallery, NY; The Carey Institute, NY; Big Eye Gallery, NY; and Mountaintop Gallery, NY. Yolen has received numerous awards including the Cooperstown Art
Association’s 2023 National Juror’s Citation, Albany Center Gallery’s Honorable Mention Award, and the Orchard Valley Ceramic Arts Guild Award. She studied at Bennington College (BA) and the College of Saint Rose (MA) and she continues to learn from renowned artists in regional workshop settings.