Leona has snorkeled in the Grand Cenote of Mexico, danced the Flamenco in the cellars of Spain and walked the Great Wall of China - absorbing the culture, memories and experiences that have contributed to the extensive visual vocabulary that is expressed in her art.
“My art is the vehicle that allows me to express that which cannot be put to words.”
Leona paints from the soul and finds that the process of painting is important to her whether it be representational or abstract.
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Leona developed a strong interest in art at an early age. Primarily self-taught in watercolour painting techniques, Leona extended her learning over the early part of her career by taking professional courses with many well-known artists. Her formal education was at the University of Manitoba where she received her Bachelor of Education degree, and the University of Saskatchewan in Art Studies and Art History. She is also an Associate Member of Women In Watercolor
Leona has exhibited and taught extensively both in Canada and internationally. Her work can be found in both corporate and private collections found throughout Canada, USA, Singapore, China, Switzerland, England, and Japan.
Over the course of her career, Leona has been recognized with many Awards both domestically and internationally.
A finalist in the Women in the Arts Exhibition held by Artrom Gallery in Rome, Italy, Leona's painting was one of only 12 selected from Canada to be represented in Fabriano, Italy in 2016. She has been included in many articles and art books, with her latest being quoted in “Bloom” by Janice Mason Steeves in 2024.
Leona has juried art shows for the Manitoba Society of Artists, The Rural and Northern Juried Show, and is contracted to jury the 2025 Westman Juried Art Show, hosted by the Arts West Council.
“Ultimately, it's what the painting ‘says’ that is important. Not necessarily in the sense of a ‘message;’ rather a language understood in the heart and soul generated there.”
BIOGRAPHY
