Leanne Christie. Oil Painter

An academic grounding and a world of seemingly infinite possibilities can impose a cauldron of pressure on a young painter which begs for a defining moment. Leanne recalls hers which occurred after the opening of the Tate Modern. An opening in which the mastery on display had been overwhelming but which turned, a year later, to more disillusionment with yet another dull installation and its underwhelming 20 page supporting document. Art which reduced its viewers to whispering subjects, each afraid to utter the words: ‘the emperor does not have any clothes’.

Leanne has since defined herself not as an artist but as a painter. Quite simply, an individual who is deeply attracted to, and stimulated by, the smell, feel and color of oil paint. An individual who strives to maintain the paints integrity as it is being manipulated beneath their brush.

“I approach my work as a painter who seeks not to reduce the viewer but to expand, not to theorize but to describe, not to alienate but to connect with and to elevate the viewer to the place of wonderment. My paintings work towards achieving this through their choice of simple subjects and viewpoints, which are focused on the bare and honest aspects of the work: the light, the form, the color and the edges.” 

Leanne now works and lives with her partner in Vancouver. A city which has captured her imagination and which has rekindled her childhood fascination with dramatic and changing cityscapes and landscapes.

Leanne is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.

Visit me or visit my website: www.leanne-christie.com.