Biography

Born in Newark, NJ. Father, musician/engineer; paternal grandfather graduated Cooper Union, 1882; mother, Marietta Roma Napoliello, trained commercial artist; maternal grandfather was a published poet.

Public school education, East Orange, New Jersey. Wrote and illustrated books as a child.Took art course majors in high school. Won award for best opera costume design for a Metropolitan Opera contest.

Studied modern dance and classical ballet on scholarships and grants beginning at 7 years old.

Won dance/acting scholarship to White Barn Theatre, Westport, CT while in high school. Exposed to first acting classes - Shakespeare with Eve Le Galliane.

Also while in high school worked as actress and dancer in summer stock repertory companies.

Graduated high school in the top 10 percent. Moved to New York City. Studied acting with Lee Strasbery and dance with Matt Mattox and Robert Joffrey. Worked many jobs for financial support. Worked as an actress and dancer in Off-Broadway, experimental film, television and movies. Most notably played the student in Ionesco's The Lesson. Resumes painting in earnest using oil medium.

Married Ronald Nicholas, an actor. Traveled between Los Angeles and New York for work.

Moved permanently to Los Angeles. Had son Ryder Joe 1965 and daughter Ashley Brook 1968. Made art objects to sell in local stores.

Received certificate as childbirth educator from the American Institute of Family Relations. Developed and taught private and hospital classes for childbirth training program. Wrote and illustrated text book.

Separated from husband. Final divorce 1976.

1985 Received MA in painting. Exhibited Bosque series of abstract paintings. and drawings. Received Best of Show award from Barbara Haskell, curator Whitney Museum. Travels to England.

1986 Expanded work off-the-wall. Travels to Barcelona.

1987 Studied Italian at the University for Foreigners in Perugia, Italy. Sixth trip to Europe. Fourth to Italy. Exhibited work in Perugia.

1988 Received MFA . Began teaching at the UNM Continuing education program. Exhibited door series of constructions and mixed media work at the UNM School of Architecture.

1989 Invited to exhibit Pentimento series of relief paintings at the Pindar Gallery, Soho, NYC. Received artist grant from Artist Space.

1990 Work shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and abroad. Work purchase for public and private collections. Travels to Eygpt.

1994 Married David Vogel of N.M., a consultant in the health care industry. Shows work at galleries in Sedona, AZ, Denver, CO, and San Diego, CA as well as the Museo Italo Americano, San Francisco

1994-6 Received artist grant from the E.D. Foundation and created the Marietta Robusti Tintoretto Story, a group of paintings and text about the artist-daughter of the Venetian master, Tintoretto. Goes to Venice to photograph slides for lectures about Marietta Tintoretto. Lucy Lippard writes an essay for the announcement card when the work debuts at the UNM Johnson Gallery in 1996. Begins interest in Eastern philosophy and meditation.

1997 Marietta Tintoretto exhibition tours through 2001 including 6 venues in North Dakota. Several museums and colleges. Leis gives lectures about Robusti Tintoretto at many of the venues.

1998 Is prolific and develops several bodies of acclaimed work. Continues to exhibit nationally/wins honors, commissions, residencies. Travels to France. Sees Monet's and Cezanne's studios.

Does a residency at Connamara Conservancy in Texas. It is a 17' x 10' x 3' sculptural piece called, The Guardian.

Does a large relief mural ( 6' x 8' x 16" ) for the NM State Library, Santa Fe, commissioned by 1% for the Arts.

1999Works for the City of Albuquerque to develop a summer apprentice program for high schoolers where they get paid to make art.

2000Art-In-Residence at Weir Farm Trust, Wilton, CT. Creates a large body of paintings called, Shards.Work is less complex. Paintings acquired for the collection of the Albuquerque Museum.

2001Travels to Japan in ‘01 as her work becomes more contemplative and minimal. Paintings are more monochromatic and deal with figure/ground relationships.

Artist-In-Residence at Crater Lake National Park, OR. sponsered by Schneider Museum, Ashland, OR. Experiencing the deepest and bluest lake in the U.S. inspires a new group of paintings entitled, The Blue Series.

2002Works goes into several public collections and museums. The Harwood Museum, Taos, NM; The Fort Smith Convention Center, AK; and the Jonson Gallery at the University of NM, Albuquerque.

2003 www.mariettaleis.com is online as well as Leis' work being shown on approximately 22 other sites.

Travels to China. Has memorable experiences on the Yantgze and the Li Rivers.

Work acquired into the collection of the Art Gallery at the NM State University in Las Cruces, NM.

Moves studio and residence to east of the Sandia Mountains and Albuquerque. Is inspired by the views and big sky.

William Zimmer, New York Times Contributing Art Critic writes an essay about the Blue Series.

2004 Leis' travels to Alaska and is inspired by the blue ice formations.

Leis awarded an artist residency at Fundación Valparaiso in Mojacar, Spain.

2005 Has a 2-person mini retrospective at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces titled Marietta Patricia Leis, Paintings and Betty Hahn, Photography. Awarded Artist -in-Residence at Cawdor Estates, Cawdor, Scotland. Participates in several group exhibitions; Attleboro Museum, MA; Coos Bay Museum, OR; Sprike Gallery, Chelsea, NYC; Gallery-in-the-Field, VT. Indigo Blue, a large painting of the Blue Series is placed in the lobby of the Brain Institute, Domenici Building, Albuquerque. Husband, David starts research in philanthropy.

2006Leis is a visiting Artist at Spring Island, SC.

Has solo exhibition, "Atmosphere: Inspiration from the Highlands," at Gallery-in-the-Field, Brandon, VT. Gives Gallery Talk.

Gallery Talk.           

Has a two-person exhibition at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art in Santa Fe, NM.

Is included in exhibitions at Cue Foundation, Chelsea, NYC; Farmington Museum, NM; Patina Gallery, Santa Fe; Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM.

2007Leis has an exhibit at River Gallery, Chattanooga, TN. Invited to participate in an exhibition at Museo ItaloAmericano, San Francisco using Dante’s Inferno as a theme. Other exhibits include: Salon MarGraff, Tesuque, NM. and Collect: 8 at CCA, Santa Fe, NM. Work is also included in Bridges Expo in Chicago as part of Strange Weeds, an artist organization. Flores Island in the Portugese Azores is the June Artist Residency Leis has been awarded.