Dawn Leach is a 2D abstract painter based in West Michigan. After a lengthy career as a registered nurse, she returned to study art at Grand Valley State University and is expected to graduate in spring 2026. Dawn’s art is deeply connected to color, form, and design, drawing influence from abstract expressionists like Mark Rothko. Using a mixed media approach, Dawn paints on wood and canvas with acrylic and oil paints, creating textures with found papers or stitching. Her layers of paint and collage evoke a sense of history and time, taking inspiration from elements of nature and chance. Her goal is to visually engage her audience. She creates work to evoke feelings of calm, wonder, reflection, and presence, encouraging viewers to slow down and explore the surface depths and forms of her paintings.