Ali Leja is a self-taught instinctual painter having lived the majority of her life learning to trust her inclinations. As a former school counselor of 20 years, Ali guided her students based on intuition and verification. She applies the same concept to her paintings. She has a feeling of where a color or line should be, she places it on the canvas and then steps back to evaluate. Ali is not surprised by her 2nd career choice of becoming a painter. She spent most of her life designing her home and collecting art. In fact, she comes from a long line of creative women including interior decorators and flea market enthusiasts. Ali’s work is described as happy and joyful. Each painting is done in such a way to evoke a smile or laughter from her audience. Having overcome many obstacles in her life, Ali makes the conscious choice to focus on positivity. This is evident by looking at her paintings. Ali’s appreciation of life goes beyond her art. She is the mother of two wonderful boys, Liam and Quin Thor, avid rescuer of dogs - current pack includes Lily, Stella and Anna Delicious and she is married to a native Icelander, Helgi Thor.