Leslie Packard (born 1959) began painting 15 years ago when her mother Anne presented her with a birthday gift, a set of paints. Under the study of her sister Cynthia Packard, she has developed a style very unique to her. Painting has come very naturally to Leslie -” working with the pallet knife is like buttering bread.” 

Leslie devotes her time to painting at her home and is the mother of 2 children. She was the director of the Packard Gallery for a significant portion of the gallery’s history.

“As the great-granddaughter of well-known painter, Max Bohm, Leslie Packard continues the tradition of painting in this family of painters, which include her mother, Anne and her sister Cynthia. Being her own person, she set out to paint in a style unique to her. Working with oil paint on both paper and canvas, Leslie’s use of her palette knife and brush indicate a painter who gets fully involved in her work as she carefully applies, scrapes and reapplies her paint. She uses brilliant reds, yellows and oranges, along with blues and browns to captivate the eye of the viewer. Her still life paintings with fruit take on an impressionistic look while at the same time appearing almost appetizing.” – Dennis Costin, Gallery Director Ernden gallery