My name is Leah Mangue (pronounced MANG). I'm an artist, as may be evident by the pages of this site.
I was born in Santa Maria, California (famous for Tri-Tip!) two days before the Beatles invaded the United States.
From Santa Maria we made the "big" move to Santa Barbara, a wonderful seaside town that is nestled into the base of the Los Padres National Forest and the Santa Ynez mountain range. Santa Barbara is a gorgeous city known for its Spanish influenced architecture and year 'round mild climate and it was a superb place to be raised. In 1986 I lived and worked in Barcelona, Spain (only steps from the Parque Guell/Parc Guëll, one of Gaudí's most famous works) then returned to Santa Barbara to go back to school. I remained in Santa Barbara until 1998 when I moved to my current home in Palm Desert, CA (near Palm Springs) in the Coachella Valley (known for its 130 golf courses).
These cities, Santa Barbara, Barcelona and Palm Desert, have a few things in common: all are known for their mostly mild climates, beautiful bodies of water and/or mountains, palm trees and the most incredible views. They are also partially responsible for my love of art since each of these cities has a rich history of art and artists.
My mother told me that one of the few activities that kept me fully entertained, from toddlerhood onward, was a box of crayons and paper. That never left me, though I prefer the more tailored colored pencil to crayons. My exposure to arts, culture, animals and nature at an early age was almost certainly the catalyst for my artistic exploration and what ultimately shaped my career as an artist.My focus as a full-time professional entity (since 2000) has been on animals (domestic and wild) but I enjoy drawing all manner of subject matter ranging from floral and landscape to fantasy and science fiction (pop culture) illustration, I am also an official licensed artist for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Heroes, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who and others.
I work entirely in colored pencils, graphite and Copic/Prismacolor markers at my studio in Palm Desert, CA.
Thank you for visiting!
Leah Mangue
