Artist Profile:

Upon arriving at Leonard Wren's studio, two goats, little April and Malcolm, repeatedly nicker greeting. The studio Leonard has had for the past six years is clean, organized and well decorated--a red interior paint applied to one wall plays off the taupe-colored fabric covering the other walls, upon which are displayed many of Leonard's paintings and Giclee prints. Halogen lighting crosses the room, stinging the works with coordinated lighting that reveals the amazing capacity of the color used in Leonard's paintings.

The view from the large studio window faces the house across the street. It's like one of his paintings: a serene scene, packed with color, of a charming house, a wooden fence, beautiful landscaping and light. There's a large easel with supports that move side-to-side or vertically, enclosing and stabilizing the working paintings, whatever the size. Nearby bowls are filled with tubes of oil paint, and there are several containers of beautifully clean, round bristle brushes in a range of sizes. Leonard says that he likes to "write" with these brushes, and that they make a variety of marks depending on the pressure. Face-to-face with one of his paintings, one is able to appreciate the mass of calligraphic gestures that structure each painting.

Leonard has been a painter for 30 years. His first painting experiment was the highly controlled process of pinstriping cars. He had an outdoor advertising company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he did signage and logo design. They used enamel paints and carved out wood and cut out plastic. This history of working with materials built up a foundation of dexterity for Leonard. When he went to an exhibition of Richard Schmid's paintings in Bartlesville, he found the work so powerful and beautiful he knew that's what he wanted to do. He started attending the Goetz Art School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, run by Richard and Edith Goetz. For nine months Leonard traveled 250 miles one way, leaving Sunday afternoons, taking classes through Thursday, sleeping in his studio or car in the interim, then driving back home to work for three days. In 1975, Leonard made the challenging and courageous transition from his advertising company to being a full-time painter.

"The study of art itself is even more involved than technique; you have to develop a sense of your own philosophy--what is it you stand for." He continues: "People say, 'why not use a photograph?' One important difference with painting is that it allows the artist to edit out what they feel is unnecessary, and to exaggerate other elements, but not to the point of caricature." Leonard has traveled to Europe for the last 12 years, seeing the spectacular scenes, landscapes and museums, which is an incredible learning and working environment. Maintaining approximately 30 hours of painting each week, he is what is known as a 'plein air' painter: he works outside, on location, with a direct relationship between himself and the entirety of his subject. Leonard notes that his painting is very light dependent: "Light is the most important element--it gives life to everything. Painters that I admire produce work that is honest and unpretentious."

Leonard says "I do what I do because it's what's right for me; I'm comfortable with what I'm doing. And Impressionism has withstood the test of time and is popular because it's about beauty."

He has a drawing class on Wednesday evenings, which he conducts at his studio located at 352 Lopez Road. His latest exhibition was held at his studio the weekend of September 3 and 4. It also featured the work of sculptor Ron Norman and jewelry-maker Danah Feldman.

For more information about Leonard, visit his web site: www.leonardwren.com.

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