A sample of Leslie Smith’s work. Photo courtesy of Sacramento County

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - The next time you attend a meeting in the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Chambers, be sure to check out the rotating art on display! Sacramento County sponsors bi-annual art exhibitions in the Board Chambers, located at 700 “H" St. “Meanderings: Paintings by Leslie Smith" is on display now through July 12, 2024.

Leslie is a Northern California artist who shares her life experiences, self-reflections and love for curiosity and exploration through her paintings. Leslie has been artistic her entire life – drawing inspiration from nature. She attributes the inspiration to her mother who sparked her imagination and storytelling abilities through drawing prompts to pass time on their way to camping trips in Mendocino, CA.

While camping she experienced public art on display in nearby towns. “I’m really very grateful to have my artwork in a public place. Public art is so imp​ortant because it provides people with something they aren’t expecting,” says Leslie, who believes that everyone should have access to the arts and is delighted by the thought of an unsuspecting passerby viewing her paintings from their own perspective.

Leslie’s paintings come together in a unique process which she describes as dynamic. “As I develop each painting, the process causes me to inspect my own personal boundaries and limitations,” Leslie explains. “Sometimes it is dynamic and other times I seek a silence within the very perpetual motion or energy of the process itself. I work by detaching myself from the ordinary flow of thought – and to detach from things I can readily identify as painting because this allows me to move beyond my habitual way of seeing and being.”

The result is an abstract and eclectic collection of shapes, brush strokes, and textures which, when combined, bring a vibrant liveliness to the otherwise neutral color palette of the chambers.

Visitors are welcome to view the art when meetings are in session. To check when the next meeting is scheduled, view the online Board Meeting Calendar. ​