James Leonard is a contemporary abstract artist who lives and works in the Northern California Bay Area. In 2000, his painting Before You, won the Silver Award of the San Diego Museum of Art’s All California Show. Leonard has been the subject of more than 20 solo exhibitions over the last eight years. His work is collected by individuals and corporations nationally and internationally.
Leonard states that “Art has always been the focus of my life.” He grew up in an artistic family. His father was a writer, and his mother an educator. He himself taught arts and crafts to the developmentally disabled following a tour of duty in Vietnam and subsequent graduation from college. While teaching, his own style and approach to artistic expression grew. His work has been influenced by the early expressionists of the 1930’s and 40’s. German painter Gerhard Richter has also had a strong influence on his work with its bold horizontal and vertical strokes and strong color to touch the viewer’s emotions. He characterizes his work as strong, yet sensitive, expressive, yet structured; complex in scope, yet quiet in interpretation. Art has always been the focus of my life. As such, art, like life, is a process. Just as our lives unfold in unique and beautiful ways, so do my paintings have their own, unique individual expression. As an artist, I strive to guide each painting to its fulfillment. The process is like a circle, without beginning or end. -------James Leonard
James Leonard: Abstract Artist from Filmtwist Productions on Vimeo.
Leonard states that “Art has always been the focus of my life.” He grew up in an artistic family. His father was a writer, and his mother an educator. He himself taught arts and crafts to the developmentally disabled following a tour of duty in Vietnam and subsequent graduation from college. While teaching, his own style and approach to artistic expression grew. His work has been influenced by the early expressionists of the 1930’s and 40’s. German painter Gerhard Richter has also had a strong influence on his work with its bold horizontal and vertical strokes and strong color to touch the viewer’s emotions. He characterizes his work as strong, yet sensitive, expressive, yet structured; complex in scope, yet quiet in interpretation. Art has always been the focus of my life. As such, art, like life, is a process. Just as our lives unfold in unique and beautiful ways, so do my paintings have their own, unique individual expression. As an artist, I strive to guide each painting to its fulfillment. The process is like a circle, without beginning or end. -------James Leonard
James Leonard