Meet Leslie Ballard | Woodturner, golfer, photographer and flyfisherwoman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leslie Ballard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leslie, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
I like creating beautiful things, creating art. Creating functional art, like peppermills, chess pieces or bottlestoppers, so that people can have art anywhere in their home, makes me happy. To be able to take an otherwise unusable and/or unattractive piece of wood and turn it into a piece of art truly excites me. And shooting in the 70’s on the golf course. That also makes me happy!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My mother was an acrylic artist specializing in animals and landscapes, so my interest in creating pieces of art came naturally. I followed in her footsteps as an acrylic artist until I discovered resin in 2015. Resin as a medium creates movement and shine in art pieces and each piece is totally unique. I began using resin to create large, abstract wall art pieces.

My focus now is three-dimensional work combining resin and wood.

The process of taking a piece of wood from its natural state to a piece of art fascinates me. The wood has to be bone dry, shaped, molded with resin and then turned and finished. This multi-step process keeps me engaged and entertained! There is a thrill in discovering what the wood and resin become as they unveil themselves on the lathe.

Hybrid woodturning with resin is a relatively small niche in woodturning. Having used these two combined mediums for 4+ years, I am now doing instructional presentations/demos for woodturning clubs in the southeast.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have a 120 gallon salt water reef tank in my home. I consider it living art. So a trip to the Georgia Aquarium would be on the agenda. And a round of golf at one of the many spectacular courses in our area. We might head to the Chattahoochee Nature Center and include a stroll along the river on the boardwalk. Dinner might be at Lily’s Sushi in Alpharetta or Goin’ Coastal in Canton.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents have always been my biggest fans and supporters. My entire life I have been encouraged by them to pursue my interests. My mother was an artist and my dad is a hobbyist. I combine both of their influences in my woodturning.

My husband and sons are also supportive and the reason I am a woodturner! My family took a leap of faith and gifted me a lathe, tools and various accoutrements for Christmas one year after I made a casual comment about wanting to know how to turn a vase/bowl. I had no experience whatsoever in woodworking, but it was obviously a terrific gift as I have been an avid woodturner ever since.

There are relatively few female woodturners. When I visit woodturning clubs the audience is primarily male. There is a unique bond, therefore, among women turners. And as a whole, women turners are extremely supportive of each other, be it face to face or on social media.

Website: www.leslieballardart.com

Instagram: Leslieballardart

Facebook: Leslie Ballard Art

Image Credits
Tom Biehl, Matt Ballard