William Leslie + Alessandra Colfi
Artist Statement
In 1976, William Leslie apprenticed to Stephen White, an architect who had developed a unique form of ‘lightsculpture’ made from thin strips of wood bent into a frame then covered with paper soaked in polyvinyl resin and lit internally by incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs.
Most of William’s designs have been inspired by natural forms, which continue to generate new ideas and joy. William’s Lightsculptures have shown in Hawaii, California, Chicago, New York and Milano, Italy.
His work has been used on the stage of the American Musical Awards and in the film Star Trek: Generations. He was featured in the Dec. 2003 issue of The Robb Report and appeared on HGTV, The Carol Duvall Show episode #1618, May 2004.
He has also had public and commercial installations at: ‘Within Europa’s Sea’ at San Diego International Airport – Terminal 2, ReVision Optometry, and Encinitas Library; Zov’s Bistro in Irvine, Tustin, Newport Beach, and at John Wayne International Airport, Orange County; Irvine Fine Arts Center, Aesthetic Dermatology in Laguna Hills, Oceans & Earth Restaurant in Yorba Linda, CA; 2 Bistango restaurants in New York, and Edwards Restaurant in Florida.
One of William's Lightsculptures was a finalist in the 2004 Spertus Museum (University of Judaism, Chicago) Competition for representing Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light, and is now powerfully and gracefully installed as a symbolic beacon of light at Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vista, CA.
Additional art installations: Fallbrook Art Center; Café des Artistes in Fallbrook; Lightopia in Manhattan Beach; Gallery of Functional Art in Santa Monica; and at the Oceanside Museum of Art ‘Under Alien Seas’, conception of bioluminescent life beyond our planet.
In 2006, William's wife Alessandra Colfi, an eclectic mixed-media artist and Expressive Arts Therapist, joined him in creating their Lightsculptures together, adding colors and exploring new possibilities.
William Leslie’s background includes degrees in physics and philosophy. He served as an infantry soldier in Vietnam and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India. Presently, he teaches philosophy at Palomar Community College in the San Diego area and with his wife they create Lightsculptures for homes, restaurants, hospitals, businesses, and religious institutions.