Karen Leigh

Leigh obtained a degree in graphic design from Montana State University and has been a professional artist for over 50 years!  She is an adjunct professor and has celebrated 50 years of teaching art at Flathead Valley Community College.  She taught for FVCC’s Semester Abroad Venice program. She has also taught a painting class in Monet’s Gardens in Giverny, France. She has stood in Van Gogh’s room in St. Remy in the asylum where he stayed near the end of his life, looking out at the still unchanged landscape – a quintessential moments forever instilled in her memory. Leigh has served as the executive director of the Hockaday Museum of Art.  Karen was recently featured in the spring 2026 issue of The Art of Watercolor magazine published in France after receiving awards from the Northwest Watercolor Society in WA.

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Leigh’s work can be found in many private and public collections including the Beringer Wineries, ConAgra Industries, the George W. Bush Presidential Library, and the Smithsonian Institution.  She has been featured in several arts magazines including Watercolor Magic, Watercolor and Portfolio Magazines.  She was selected to design an ornament for the White House 2007 Christmas Tree and along with other contributing artists were honored at a reception hosted by First Lady Laura Bush in the White House. She was accepted into the Northwest Watercolor Society's 79th Annual International Competition, one of only 60 selected artists.