landscapes during plein air painting sessions led her to produce a body of beautiful abstract paintings inspired by nature's ever-changing scenery. Although some paintings may take up to a year, she generally prefers to make a painting alla prima, all in one sitting. More recently, she is inspired by photographers Susan Kae Grant of Texas and John E. Powell of Columbia, SC to produce a body of work combining conceptual art, photography and digital mixed media. Leeke has also painted and marketed silk scarves and other consumer products, such as mouse pads, coloring books, and greeting cards. Leeke has been invited to exhibit her art in New York, Chicago, Atlanta and has art collectors around the globe. Subject, themes, and methods While the majority of her art involves abstract cityscapes and landscapes, she also focuses on conceptual and science-based work. Conceptual work In 2014, she worked on a series of digital mixed media works that address the issues of consumerism and manufacturing excess by society's overconsumption. Leeke's concept for the show was to encourage consumers to choose more wisely and spend more for quality merchandise versus throwing it away. Science-based work Other themes explored in her work are based on science and biology. Leeke was awarded a grant by the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education Fund to produce a traveling exhibition in 2015 entitled: View from Under the Microscope: Science-based Learning Through Art. The exhibition consists of 18 vibrant, digitally created paintings that educate the non-scientific community about the importance phytoplankton play in relation to all living things on the planet and the need to maintain healthy, sustainable oceans and water bodies. Influence Leeke's work is inspired by South Carolina's coastal landscape as well as Columbia landmarks, New York, Paris and Venice. The quaint street scenes and sprawling landscapes found in her paintings strive to capture the essence of common events and convert them into lively images of color and movement. During her second trip to Montmartre, France in 2009, Leeke developed an interest in Fauvism and began to incorporate intense black lines into her work. Leeke's visits to Europe served as inspiration for many of her works. Her Columbia cityscapes often have the charming appeal of street scenes in Paris, like the painting, Nonnah's, in which she captures Columbia's vista and Paris' personality. She has been influenced by the works of French Impressionist masters, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,