Mirada Fine Art Welcomes James Leonard to The Gallery

Mirada Fine Art is thrilled to introduce our newest artist to the gallery: James Leonard.

James Leonard at Mirada Fine Art

One of the foremost abstract expressionists in the Western United States, James Leonard never touches a brush to canvas. His technique, tools and mediums are wholly his own, as are the stunning paintings that are the result of his creative implementations.

James Leonard at his California studio

Working with a massive palette knife, Leonard pulls, scrapes twists and turns multiple layers of acrylic paint across his canvasses. Bold strokes of color are both intuitively and thoughtfully applied to evoke emotion within his abstract landscapes. The influence of famous painter, Gerhard Richter, is evident in James' work. The story of each painting is relayed through this layering, finished with additional speckled, dropped and fragmented color, that is then scraped off in lines to reveal the history of the work; Leonard refers to this technique as 'sgrafito.' He likens this to a fence post that has observed the passing of time, often repainted, weathering and revealing the colors of each year.

James Leonard's signature technique used in his painting 'One Yellow Poppy'

James Leonard took this technique to a heightened level with his newest work, the 'Transformational Series.' Ecstatic and infused with nature, this new work features astounding relief and swirls of bold color. To sustain the depth of texture, the pieces are created upon archival boards and reminiscent of blown glass, so much so that famed glass blower Dale Chihuly was moved to included Leonard's work in his personal fine art collection. James' paintings can be found throughout the world, including collections at NASA and Yale University.

Definitely come visit us at Mirada Fine Art and check out all of Jame's work in person!

James Leonard at Mirada Fine Art, 'Blue Skies & Sunny Days I',
Acrylic on Canvas, 36" x 36"

James Leonard at Mirada Fine Art, 'First Bloom,'
Acrylic on Canvas, 38" x 38"