Born in England in 1898, Clare Leighton created over 800 prints and illustrated more than 65 books over her 50 year career both in Great Britain and in the United States, during which she witnessed two World Wars and the Great Depression. Highly influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late nineteenth century, Leighton devoted herself and a large part of her career to wood engraving, emphasizing the medium’s simplicity of line and richness of tone. Interested in recording her impressions of the world around her, she often depicted rural men and women living and working in harmony with nature, despite the increased mechanization of agriculture she witnessed during her lifetime. Leighton’s technical skill, in addition to her wholesome, everyday choice of subject matter, account for the quiet spirituality and enduring timelessness of her work. Quiet Spirit, Skillful Hand, organized by the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina, re-examines Leighton’s rich legacy through her most important engravings, watercolors, and drawings.