Leonie grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa; where she graduated and worked as an engineer. In 2000, they immigrated, with their three sons, to Australia (Perth), where she continued to work as an independent maintenance engineering consultant for major oil and gas companies. While working fulltime, she also studied part-time at The University of Western Australia, where she obtained a PhD in Engineering in 2014.
As a self-taught artist, she only started painting in mid-2016. In 2018, she retired as an engineer, and moved to a farm in the Perth Hills.
Leonie currently mainly portrays Australian and South African fauna, flora, and landscapes in her artwork, with her love for vibrant colours and bold shapes often noticeable in her artwork.