Molly Leith

Artist, Painter

Molly Petersen Leith is a visual artist raised in a small, seaside village of Watch Hill, Rhode Island, known for its scenic shoreline and historic harbor. Her early connection to the Ocean fostered a profound appreciation for the natural world, which continues to inspire and inform her artistic practice.

Leith's contemporary paintings incorporate memories, rhythms, and textures of the New England coastal and Lakes regions, the Bay Area, and favorite locations worldwide. Her work has been exhibited at Galleries on the East and West Coasts and is found in several private collections.

Leith holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Presently living in Andover, NH, with her artist husband and three daughters, Molly curates art exhibits and teaches at Proctor Academy.

Statement:

Nature's cycles, patterns, and energy deeply inspire my work. Each piece begins with a single mark—a decisive moment of movement that ignites curiosity and delight. Drawing on memories of living near the ocean, themes of duality, transcendence, power, divinity, and joy shape my artistic process.

Many paintings emerge intuitively while painting en plein air, and others are methodically crafted in the studio. Layering gold leaf, bold colors, evocative patterns and refined forms, I design the surface of the canvas with both intention and spontaneity. Capturing liminal spaces that are otherwise easily missed, each work becomes an attempt to capture a specific time and place.