Leslie Ross Stephens

Leslie Ross Stephens is a full-time artist who resides near Frenchtown, a small but creatively vibrant village nestled on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, in idyllic Hunterdon County. Despite significant change, there remains along the riverbanks a timeless essence which so vividly recalls the masters of the New Hope School: Redfield, Garber, Lathrop, and the rest of that illustrious group. Says Ms. Stephens, "I sense that the creative spirits of those who came before me are still very much alive here, taking familiar pleasure in the artistic strivings of their inspired and earnest successors, of whom I am happily one."

Leslie works mostly in oil pastel & is also an avid photographer. She recently published a book: Art of Happenstance, which is a collection of compositions she finds on her daily walks along the Delaware & adjacent canals. The images are abstract serendipitous arrangements, often with textured details of oxidation & decompostion, which suggest to the viewer a representational subject or at least give an impression of illumination & spatial recession. She also photographs the picturesque landscape, using the images to create her paintings back in the studio. She particularly loves black & white photography which she exhibits on its own merits.

Exhibitions and Awards:

'25-- Solo Show: Oil Continuum - Paint to Pastel, Luminary Coffee, Canal Studios, Lambertville, NJ

'25-- Solo Photography Show: Art of Happenstance, Centenary University, Hackettstown, NJ

'24-- Best in Show, Painting, Art Venture Annual Juried Exhibition, Flemington, NJ

'24-- Solo Photography Show: Art of Happenstance, Luminary Coffee, Lambertville, NJ

'24-- Phillips Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, PA

'24-- Phillips Mill Annual Juried Photography Exhibition, New Hope, PA

'23-- Best in Show - Photography, Art Venture Annual Juried Exhibition, Flemington, NJ

'20-- River Towns Magazine First Annual Juried Exhibition, Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ

'19-- Solo Exhibition: Ecstatic Vision, paintings & photographs, Nassau Club, Princeton, NJ

'18-- Trenton Museum Exhibit, Ellarslie Mansion, Trenton, NJ

'17-- Phillips Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, PA

'16-- Philadelphia Sketch Club, Large Format Exhibition

'16-- Allied Artists of America Award, AAPL 88th Grand National Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, NYC

 '15-- Philadelphia Sketch Club Large Format Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia, PA

 '15--American Artists Professional League 87th Grand National Exhibition

 '15-- 86th Juried Art Exhibition at Phillips' Mill, New Hope, PA

 '15--Best in Show, New Hope Art League 6th Annual Juried Show, New Hope, PA

 '15--Trenton Museum Exhibit, Ellarslie Mansion, Trenton, NJ

 '14--Landscape Award given by Guy Cook, Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, PA

 '13--Casimir & Jane Sienkjewicz Award for a Traditional Painting in the Style of the New Hope School,
        Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Exhibition, New Hope, PA

 '12--Best in Show, Delaware River Greenway Partnership Art Exhibition, Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ 

 '08--Phillips' Mill Community Association Award in Memory of Peter Redman, Phillips' Mill Annual Juried
        Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA

 '08--Marion Katnack Memorial Award, Tewksbury Historical Society Annual Art Show, Oldwick, NJ

 '07--"Take Ten: Realism to Abstraction" Invitational Exhibition of Hunterdon County Artists at Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ

 '05--Award in Memory of Doris Brandes & Martin Luther, Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA   

 '04--Award for Traditional Painting in the Style of the New Hope School @ Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition,
        New Hope, PA

 '04--Best in Show & Best Equine in Show @ the Hunterdon County Education Foundation's Fifth Annual
        Sterlingbrook Farm Art Exhibition

 '03--Solebury School Award (in honor of the founders) @ Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA

 '02--Award for Traditional Painting of the Delaware Valley, Phillips' Mill Annual Juried Art Exhibition, New Hope, PA

 '99--Solo Exhibition, Riverside Gallery, Pottersville, NJ

 '99--Bianco Foundation Patron's Award, Bianco Gallery, Buckingham, PA

 '98--Phillips' Mill Community Association  Membership Award in Memory of Gordon Day, Phillips' Mill

 '97--Crystal Springs Farm Award, Bianco Gallery

 '96--Diana and Phillip Betsch Award, Bianco Gallery

 '95--Special  Patron's  Award ($1,000.), Phillips' Mill

 '94--Invitational  Exhibition, Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ

 '92--Award for Excellence, the Tenth Annual International Juried Exhibition of 

           Pastel Paintings, Watchung, NJ                                                                 

 '91--First Place in Pastel, the Mountain Art Show, Bernardsville, NJ

 '90--Special Patron's Award for Pastel, Phillips' Mill

 '90--First Place, Hunterdon Art Museum Members Show

 '89--Solo Exhibition, Riverside Gallery, Pottersville, NJ  

 '84--Award for Excellence, Somerset Art Association's Tri-State Juried Art Exhibition: Great Swamp

            Basking Ridge, NJ