About Leslie Headly

Leslie Headly was born in West Virginia and grew up in Connecticut, where her father was a designer and proprietor of two clothing stores. Working in her father’s stores, she found she enjoyed the patterns and fabrics to which she was exposed from an early age. The family briefly moved to Tulsa while her father managed the men’s department for Renberg’s Clothing before returning to the East coast. She studied Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City with a degree in Textile Design. Her resume of design work includes work for Leacock, Inc. in New York. In Tulsa, she designed for Fabricut, as well as working with the developmentally disabled population to create an art environment in their daily lives. She has assisted The University of Tulsa with the initial restoration of vintage glass windows and worked with La Maison, Inc., where she has crafted a technique for reproducing glass to replace antique fixtures that otherwise could not be restored. 

Leslie is an artist of rare and exceptional talent, which is reflected in the diversity of her work. All of her work is original, with creations ranging from her prismacolor Tulsa Art Deco collection, watercolor landscape, pencil drawing, portrait from a group of acrylic images, leaded glass window panels, an architecturally rendered Window Temple©, or boxes of three dimensional stature, incorporating vintage jewelry and found objects.

Leslie describes her relationship with art as follows:
"The process and the connection to Spirit has consistently been the driving force behind my art. Each and every creation has offered a tremendous challenge and opportunity for enrichment and personal growth. I cherish the love affair my work provides. It sustains me. It is my deepest wish that others who see my work can also experience the passion and devotion in much the same way."

Leslie works from a studio in her home in Tulsa , which she humbly shares with four cats.

Philbrook's  2007 Festival of Trees Pin, designed by Leslie Heady, is available in the museum shop.

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