Bio:

As a child in the small Southeastern Minnesota city of La Crescent, where she still resides, Leanne cut out images of clothing and people from the J.C. Penney catalog to make her own paper dolls. In high school and college (business major, not art) she doodled in the margins of class notebooks and painted an occasional picture for a friend.

While her three sons were young, she didn't make time for much art other than what she could do with them (they made some pretty impressive Lego creations!)

Leanne’s 26-year career as the Marketing & Development Director for the Children's Museum of La Crosse, Wisconsin allowed her to be creative in many of her work tasks. Her 2023 retirement from this position allows for more time for her to make and admire art.

Although she has had no formal art training, she inherited some artistic talent. In fact, Leanne’s paternal grandmother is pictured in the World Book Encyclopedia under “copper”, as she made jewelry and other artwork in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Leanne enjoys trying new mediums. Her current favorites are paper collage and copper on enamel jewelry.

She has participated in two extended work-study programs at the renowned John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. There, she took classes and exhibited in watercolor and oil painting, calligraphy and collage, enameling, printmaking, wood marquetry, metalworking, and fused glass.

Leanne has recently exhibited at Gallery 24 (Rochester MN), River City Gallery (La Crosse, WI), Gallery M, and Tin Cat Studio (Amery, WI.) She will be exhibiting at the Pump House Regional Arts Center (La Crosse, WI) February to April of 2024. She welcomes commissions for custom work.

She was selected to participate in a weeklong Folklore & Collage Residency in March of 2023 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, sponsored by Kolaj Magazine. Works created during this residency were exhibited as part of the Celebration of Folklore at MERZ Gallery in Sanquhar, Scotland in September 2023.

“Some people seek deep or hidden meaning in art,“ says Leanne. “It can be special when a piece of art connects with a particular emotion or story for someone, but I don’t usually create art with this in mind. I most often create very colorful pieces because I find joy in color. I hope others do too.”