Leo Stevenson

I am a full-time self-employed traditional oil painter with a non-traditional route to being a full-time artist for the last 33 years. Having worked in museums and on TV my circuitous route to where I am now has been convoluted but interesting - at least to me! Seeing is feeling, feeling is seeing. Atmosphere is what I try to convey in all of my paintings. I want the viewer to imagine themselves being there in the presence of what I have seen or imagined. My chosen route to this goal - realism - is only a starting point, it's only part of my artistic armoury; how it feels to see what I have depicted is far more important and that comes from my mind, not my hands. My imagination is directly linked to my senses, and of course this is also true for the viewer. Art should be always about sharing experiences and feelings. I invest a lot of thought and effort in my paintings; they are not done casually or easily, as is entirely appropriate to the making of anything of quality. If you see them I hope you'll agree that this effort is worthwhile.