Emily Leonard
Where were you raised? Has the landscape of that place influenced your work in any way?
Nashville, TN. The second half of my growing up years was spent on a 60 acre parcel of wooded land 30 minutes outside of town. That place has had a big influence on my work: I painted trees and forests for about 20 years. Walking those woods taught me how to imagine, how to feel secure, how to talk to god and I suppose some things about painting.
Do you collect anything?
Cat hair
Hand-thrown coffee mugs
Postcards of favorite paintings in museums
Color stories
Wildflower seeds (hoping for a greenhouse soon)
Rocks picked up on hikes
What was the last thing that you fell in love with?
A puppy
What do you love most about yourself?
A fairly easy connection to the spirit. And I love being tall. And I love that I understand color.
What is your favorite smell? How does it make you feel? Or what memory does it bring you
toward?
A tie between Gardenia and Jasmine. Gardenia makes me think of the Gulf Coast in the spring and Jasmine makes me think of Rome in early June. Both give me intense nostalgia tinged with grief. Gardenia blossoms always feel like a true miracle when they happen, so that might pull them slightly out ahead of Jasmine.
Is there a place or activity that helps you to access (magic/ love/ god/ spirit/ the universe/mother nature/ higher self/ the divine/ a power greater) than yourself?
Going for walks, particularly in a new place. I feel sometimes like I have to live somewhere new every few years just so that I can have a new walk to go on.
Also being in the studio.
What book are you reading?
Anne of Green Gables to my daughter. It is a real delight. I highly recommend it to anyone of any age.
What object do you hold most dear?
A Burton Callicot painting that isn't even mine yet. It's hanging in my parents house now, but originally belonged to my grandparents. His rainbow paintings make me feel like anything is possible. He was my grandfather's high school art teacher, mentor and friend. I love the piece both for it's own sake and for the fact that it reminds me of what I value - art, family, beauty, light through a window.
If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be? Is there an individual or an
organization doing work in this area that you want us to know about?
Oof, what a question. I guess it would be to try and cut the cords that tie us to a mostly indoor life. To get people (including me) outside more so that they personally and organically connect to the earth and care more for it. Who's doing this? I don't know! I support Sierra Club, but I'm sure there are many others.
If I was not afraid, I would...
Learn to fly an airplane. Buy a house in another country.
All photos courtesy of Emily Leonard
