At Home or Abroad, Painting Is Her Passion

At Home or Abroad, Painting Is Her Passion

By Joe Motheral

Artist Leanne Fink and a few of her varied works

Photo by Joe Motheral

You don’t have to travel to Jordan to enjoy the paintings of Hamiltonbased artist Leanne Fink. She will be one of the artists exhibiting and selling at The Art of the Piedmont auction to benefit Middleburg Montessori School on May 20 at Slater Run Vineyards.

Her Cradle of Life series includes three paintings on display at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. One is a view of modern Amman from atop the ancient Acropolis. Another depicts the Temple of Artemis at the ancient Roman city of Jerash, north of Amman. The third shows the famous Treasury at the prehistoric settlement of Petra.

“Taking in all the sights and sounds opened my eyes to the exotic beauty of Jordan,” she said. “Its rugged and sun-bleached landscapes are rich in antiquities and warm in hospitality. It struck a chord. I embraced the experience and I felt compelled to express that which is ancient and eternal.”

She shares her Hamilton studio with her husband, Richard, a cartoonist and playwright. While her interests range far and wide, she also feels a connection to Virginia’s “pastoral surroundings” all around her.

Several paintings in her collection, A World of Color, reveal this attachment. “Home Land” is a wintry scene dominated by a sunset over farmland with trees and open pasture sheltered by clouds. Her subtle application of color can give way to vivid depictions such as “Call of the Canyon” or “Transition,” filled with autumn leaves.

Leanne began her voyage into art at an early age.

“Before kindergarten,” she said. “My uncle was a landscape painter who used to show in the local art league. He would take me to the backyard and start me on oil painting.”

She loved drawing portraits in pen and ink, with graphite and colored pencils. “I used to go through the TV Guide,” she added, “and draw portraits, portraits, portraits.”

Influenced by her uncle’s teaching, she evolved into landscapes because “I found them more challenging than portraits.”

After careers as a chiropractor and advertising art director she decided to go back full time into fine art.

“I was always intrigued by landscapes and how they made me feel,” she said. “It can touch my heart when I’m looking at a particular cloud shape, the angle of the sun, the light, the color. I like always moving forward with my painting, trying new concepts and techniques. But sometimes it’s nice to revisit successful methods from the past. I often meld the old and the new.

Leanne described her career as an artist in three ways:

“I love painting scenes from abroad, from photos that will spark a memory and feeling that speaks to me,” she said. “Second, I work from the pastoral surroundings in Loudoun, many settings from my own backyard. Third, I take imagery from my dreams.”

Those dreamy images are still on her mind when she wakes up.

“I do kind of a memory game—remembering the composition and the colors,” she said. “Then if it sticks in my head for three or four days I know it’s worthy of being put on canvas.”

Leanne also is involved in other artistic pursuits. She has served as president of the Loudoun Sketch Club, the oldest plein air painting organization in Loudoun County.

“I tend to paint faster in the field,” she said. “But most of my work is from photographic reference and memory.”

With her painting passion, there’s no telling where the future may lead, mainly because she’s always curious to explore uncharted territory.

Jordan included.

Details: www.artofthepiedmont.org