leslie wilson

In college, Atlanta fiber artist Leslie Wilson developed a unique process to create her silkscreened and embroidered designs.

Artist: Born in Macon, Wilson graduated from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) and later worked as a textile designer in the Georgia carpet Industry for Mohawk Industries and UK-based Ulster Carpets. A full-time artist, Wilson works out of a basement studio in her contemporary home in Atlanta.

In the beginning: As a child and adolescent, the artist was introduced to interior design by her mother, who sold carpet from a home office.

Being constantly surrounded by carpet samples and clients’ fabrics was the start of Wilson’s fascination with pattern, color and texture.

When she was in 10th grade, her family moved from Macon to
Dalton, where she found art through various classes in high school and through the Creative Arts Guild.

While studying fiber arts at SCAD, Wilson developed her unique process, which combines silkscreened contemporary designs and vintage botanical images with cotton/metallic thread and oil pastel.

Art & materials: Embellished silkscreen prints on paper (for small pieces) and fabric (for larger pieces). Depending on size, prices range from $500 to $1,000 (on paper) and $1,000 to $4,000 for work on linen.

Favorite go-to tool: Bernina Sewing Machine

Process:

Typically, she starts with color inspiration from interior design magazines or fabric magazines. Her favorite: Selvedge, The Fabric of Your Life.
This leads to a color palette, which she pairs with a screen (or
screens) and moves to printing and pattern development.
The final step is embellishment with thread.

Inspirations:

Contemporary interior design, which is constantly changing.
Anything that combines color and texture. For example Antoni Gaudi’s work, which she visited in Barcelona.
Rugged volcanic landscape of Iceland set against the Atlantic Ocean.

Challenging commission: A large-scale piece for a private residence in Sea Island. It was to be the single feature of an entire
wall and measured at least four times the size of anything that she has created — before or since.

Recent awards/honors: In the summer of 2022, Wilson was invited to attend an artist residency at The Baer Art Center in Iceland. The two-week residency is restricted to five artists two times per year.

Where to buy: