Winner of a 2025 Public Media Award for Visual Arts 

and a 2025 Virginia Association of Broadcasters Award for Best Human Interest Series

Artistic Encounters -Meet the Artist essentially takes the artist from behind the camera and welcomes them into the Blue Ridge PBS studio.  This provides our arts loving audience the opportunity to meet the featured artist while they introduce their works one on one. Specially curated pieces from their collection will be on display during the reception and for several weeks afterwards with many available to take home by making a donation to Blue Ridge PBS. Additionally, each artist will donate one piece to Blue Ridge PBS which will then be auctioned the night of the artist’s reception. Proceeds benefit the artist and Blue Ridge PBS so it may continue its mission of enriching people’s lives by providing educational, informational, and cultural programming that fills a unique role as a positive and lifelong resource for the communities we serve.

Leah Thompson is a professional artist and elementary school art teacher in Roanoke, VA. She specializes in creating colorful and expressive oil paintings. She is best known for her impressionistic paintings of ballerina dancers. Leah also paints vivid genre paintings, landscapes, and florals as well as commissioned works. Though oil paint is her primary medium of choice, she enjoys working in acrylics, pen and ink, and oil pastels. 

“The whole premise of my work is the energy and the fleetingness of life. People aren’t stagnant, they move constantly interacting with their environment. I want to capture that in my paintings through vivid colors and quick gestural brush strokes. That energy (that fleetingness of life) happens throughout my creative process- from the first sketches to the final painting. I sketch life as it passes by me. I love going to different gathering places and drawing people as they move along doing everyday activities.  I sketch anywhere there are people-restaurants, hospitals, malls, church, the gym, pools, etc. Then, I compose those sketches into one cohesive painting using my own unique color palette  on canvas with oil paint. “

Leah moved with her husband to Roanoke from Philadelphia , PA in 1998. For the first few years, she primarily did commissioned murals in churches, like Snow Creek Church in Rocky Mount. In Snow Creek, Leah painted a mural of The Baptism of Jesus over their Baptismal pool. Then something happened that significantly changed the venue for her art and the path of her life.

 A few days after the birth of her son, Leah’s husband, Jon, was hit by a car. Recovery was long and painful for Leah and Jon. It was during this time that Jon found an article about an  upcoming art show . He encouraged Leah to enter. She did. It was during this  small show that Leah discovered that people were attracted to her non -traditional expressive paintings. She entered more shows including the Taubman Sidewalk Artshow, The Salem Art Festival, and The Lynchburg Juried Art Show.

Since then, Leah Thompson has won many awards including best in oil painting at Virginia Western (2008), 2nd place for Pastels in Smith Mountain Art Council (SMAC) Art Show (2008), 2nd place in oils from the League of Roanoke Artist (LRA) Art Showcase (2011), 2nd place at the SMAC Art Show (2011), the purchase Award at the Art and Jazz in July Festival in Salem (2012), 1st place at the Art and Jazz in July Festival in Salem (2013) , 1st place in painting at the Giles County 'Art on the Lawn' (2014), and The Mobility Award at The Taubman Museum of Art's 'Sidewalk Art Show. 

Leah’s  artwork can be seen on Facebook and instagram under Leah Thompson Originals and  and Singulart.com. You can contact Leah Thompson at 540-556-3506 (call or text) or  email tleahfn@gmail.com.

Reception: 

Thursday, September 25 from 4 – 7 pm

Exhibit & Sale: 

Weekdays, September 29 – October 10 from 1 – 4 pm
And by appointment. 

Admission is free. 
 Blue Ridge PBS: 1215 McNeil Drive, Roanoke, VA 24015

 

In order for the series to continue we need funding and artists! Please reach out to ArtisticEncounters@BlueRidgePBS.org

Recognizing and supporting Blue Ridge PBS’ artist series, Meet the Artist 

• Brenda Barksdale
• Anne and Curt Steele
• Ann Martyn 
• David-Charles Campbell 
• Mark Wheeler

Support this series  -Pledge Now!