About Karen Leoni

Karen often paints en plein air in an effort to capture the essence of the landscape in Northern California, where she lives. It is truly a passion!  She also enjoys traveling which is a constant source of inspiration for new paintings. 

Karen moved to the San Francisco Bay area from Atlanta, Georgia in 1989. She was immediately struck the by the natural beauty that enveloped her and was inspired to move back into drawing and painting from the world of photography. She states: I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to live in California surrounded by the magnificent landscape with its endless variety. Painting allows me to closely examine nature and I now notice everyday things that otherwise would have passed me by. Time slows down when you paint or sketch. It's magical.

She works in both the oil and pastel mediums and believes that one enhances the other. Currently, she is primarily focusing on figure in landscape and prepares by painting small studies outdoors in the plein air style. She believes that these studies improve the larger, finished pieces by enabling her to capture and recreate more accurate color and atmosphere. It also develops her artist memory when racing the clock and observing the changes in light that only occur when painting plein air.

Her work is in private collections across the U.S. and Italy.  In addition, she has received numerous awards in various juried events, plein air competitions and exhibitions.