M. Leuschel creates her abstract paintings in her studio in the hills of Santa Fe. She treasures time spent in her artist’s aerie, testing and trusting the creative process while embracing imperfection. 

After growing up in the Pacific Northwest, curiosity called. For more than a decade, Leuschel wandered, lived, and worked in countries scattered across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Throughout, she honed her habit of observation; watching and working with artists, designers, and craftspeople of different cultures. Those experiences remain an enduring font of inspiration. 

Leuschel’s creative path has also been a wandering one. As an artist, she has found creative expression through photography, ceramics, drawing, and interior design. In 2017, her internal compass and her creative yearnings pointed her to Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. A class in abstract painting with cold wax was the magnet. In her painting, she wanted texture, transparency, and a transcendent quality. As it turned out, cold wax was the perfect medium for her. And Ghost Ranch was, to her surprise, the exact same spot where Georgia O’Keeffe felt most rooted and inspired.

It was that auspicious beginning that eventually led her to a new life in New Mexico. As with any good transformative tale, she encountered her fair share of detours, darkness, and demons, but she was also helped along her path by some pretty amazing guides. Through all, she has found her passion, her voice, a renewed sense of courage and, perhaps, her greatest adventure yet.