For more information on commissioning a portrait or purchasing an original work of art, contact Leah at 404-295-6088 or Leah@LeahHenry.com

Saturday, December 19, 2009

My latest drawing



I just finished this drawing. I absolutely love working on these charcoal drawings. The girls are so beautiful in their own right. The older girl has many of her father's features and the other looks exactly like her mother. I have 2 more drawings to finish before Christmas but they are coming along. I will post them when I finish them.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Small Works just in time for the Holidays


These are four new oil paintings ranging in size from 5x7 to 8x11 that will be included in the Atlanta Fine Arts League Small Works Show & Sale. The exhibit runs from November 3rd - 30th at Binders Limelight Gallery located at 3330 Piedmont Ave, Atlanta, GA 30305. You're invited to the opening reception Saturday, November 7th, 4 - 6pm. There will be many tiny treasures to spruce up your home for the holidays or to give as gifts. I wanted to create some sunny beach paintings to warm up from the rainy days we've had here lately. Beach house anyone?

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Portrait of Lynne

It's really strange painting my twin sister; I can't believe I've never drawn or painted her before. I really twisted her arm to go with me this week to Rome, GA to be my model for a portrait demonstration at my workshop there. It was a very quick demo - maybe about 1 hour 15 minutes. I got the best part of it done then I brought it home and worked on it about another 5 1/2 hours. I just had to make it look like her and more finished because I liked the way it was turning out, also, I'll be giving it to her. It was nice when her husband and twin sons saw it tonight and thought it looked just like her. There is nothing like painting from life. The colors and dimensions are very important, even if you finish with photographs when working on the likeness.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Gryffin sees his portrait



A client (& friend) just sent  this to me. I think it's so cute! It wasn't planned, they just walked in and saw him looking at his portrait. I really enjoyed doing the charcoal drawing; I should do more......Maybe around Christmas time.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Portrait I'm working on





This is a portrait I've been working on for a while. It's not finished but it is close. The mom wanted her son in a white shirt but I painted it pink because that's what he was wearing & I think it looks good with her white dress. What do you think? She might want it changed so next time you see it the shirt will most likely be white. This has been pretty difficult due to the many photos we had to work with. Notice how different their skin tones are. I hope she likes it!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville - 23rd Annual National Juried Exhibition



"Italian Still Life with Fruit" and "Amanda with Violin" were selected in the Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville's 23rd Annual National Juried Exhibition. The juror, Annette Cone-Skelton, is president/CEO for the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. The opening reception and gallery talk led by Ms. Cone-Skelton will be Sunday, November 8th, 3 until 5 p.m. at the Cultural Arts Center, 8652 Cambellton Street, Douglasville, GA 30133.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Atlanta Fine Arts League Announces GPB Emmy for Art From the Heart Segment


It is with great honor we announce that Georgia Public Television's State of the Arts segment about Art From the Heart won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement: Television News and Program Specialty Excellence.

The segment aired in January 2008 and follows three of the Atlanta Fine Arts League's founders and artists, Lisa Gleim, Leah Hopkins Henry and Geri Zaki and the families of the soldiers they painted, Army Specialist Jamaal Addison, Army Specialist Justin W. Johnson and 1st Lieutenant Tyler Hall Brown. This project and the GPB segment honors Georgia's Fallen Heroes and their families.

To view the segment please visit Georgia Public Broadcasting.

To view the Gallery of Heroes visit Atlanta Fine Arts League.

Thank you to all of the Soldiers and their families for their sacrifice to this great nation.

Sincerely,

Atlanta Fine Arts League

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Continuing on my art journey...



I'm very excited to have my painting "Her Secret Garden" accepted in the Virginia Avery Memorial Art Exhibition, sponsored by the National League of Pen Women and the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. The opening reception will be January 9th and the show runs through March 16th, 2010. I'm happy to have my work hanging in such a beautiful venue.

Workshop for the Rome Art Coterie


Earlier this month I conducted a workshop for the Rome Art Coterie in Rome, Georgia. It was the first of a 2 part series. We tried something different by having the workshop 2 months apart during their regularly scheduled meeting. This only gave me less than 3 hours after the brief announcement at the beginning. I was asked to do a lecture/ demonstration for the first half and then the students were to apply what they learned in their own medium in the 2id half. It got a little crowded because their were 23 students using every medium possible. I was very pleased to see the watercolors, oils, acrylic, pastel, charcoal and colored pencils. I don't think I have had a workshop with so many different mediums. It was great because the principals I was teaching (composition, shadow shapes, value) apply to all of them. I had to set up a still life from 2 sides because of the shape of the room and the number of students. One of the photos below is a photo of my demonstration. I was actually looking down on the subject more than I like but it made it interesting and a little challenging to draw. I got the painting drawn, blocked in, and got the fruit, bowl and background painted in before I had to stop. I quickly added the leaves and finished the candlestick in my studio so I can take it back next time. You can see my painting on an easel in some of these photos. I thoroughly enjoyed all the people there and I look forward to October 13 when I demonstrate a portrait!



















Friday, September 18, 2009

"Zach @ 10" Wins Award

 
I took my son, Zach, to the opening of the Portrait Society of Atlanta Fall Exhibition Opening last night. He really wasn't happy about going, but when my painting of him received an award he was very happy.
The show was juried by the distinguished artist, Michael Shane Neal. If you get a chance, you should definitely get by to see the exhibit - it is one of the best portrait exhibitions I have seen in a long time and the gallery is beautiful. The exhibit runs from September 17 through December 31 and is in the Hudgens Center for the Arts, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Bldg 300, Duluth, GA 30097.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Stokes @ 9

Well, I had to paint a portrait of Stokes now because I will move on to other things and never get around to it. I want to hang it Zach@10 so I tried to keep it close in color. Stokes is much more fair than Zach, which made it interesting. It's rare to see Stokes when he's not smiling but he does look at me like this quite a bit!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

3 Paintings in Portrait Society Fall 2009 Juried Exhibition



"Maggie",  "Stokes", and "Zach@10" were accepted in the Portrait Society of Atlanta 2009 Juried Exhibition. The juror is the distinguished artist Michael Shane Neal. I again feel honored to be recognized in this way. It's really fun for me because I have never entered portraits of my children in these National Shows and Zach & Stokes are my boys. I have a painting of Stokes picking out a pumpkin in the South Cobb Arts Alliance National Show but it's not really a portrait of him. Zach @10 is also hanging in the Atlanta Artist Center show at the Limelight Gallery. I think I'll take them both to the opening so they can see their portraits in the exhibition. The exhibition is September 17th - December 31th at the Hudgens Center for the Arts, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Building 300, Duluth, GA 30097. Please join me for the opening reception on Thursday, September 17th from 7 - 9.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Reception photos





















Photos with juror Ed Horlbeck & me discussing my painting at the Atlanta Fine Arts League National Exhibition reception, Friday, August 14th at the Roswell Visual Arts Center. Thomas Bateman, an artist friend, took these photos

2 Paintings in Atlanta Artists Center Show

"Zach @ 10" and "Orange Vase" accepted in Atlanta Artists Center Juried Show at the Binders Limelight Gallery in Buckhead on Peidmont Rd. The exhibition runs through August.

2 New Honors for My Paintings





My Painting, "Her Secret Garden" won First Exceptional Merit Award at Atlanta Fine Arts League National Juried Exhibition. The awards were given out at the opening reception Friday night at the Roswell Visual Arts Center. The juror, Ed Horlbeck , was very complimentary of the pieces included in the show. The turnout for the reception was great and the quality of the work is exceptional. You should try to get out & see the exhibit. 
Another painting, "Italian Still Life with Fruit" is a finalist in Art Kudos International Juried Art Competition & Exhibition.  It is a huge honor to be a finalist in this annual competition. This year 132 artists representing 15 countries (Australia, Canada, China, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United States) were accepted into the show. There were around 1200 entrants. To view the exhibition, go to http://www.artkudos.com


 

Thursday, July 23, 2009

I had to make a change

OK, I loved the painting that I posted of Zach earlier but the more I looked at it something just didn't seem right. I did the painting pretty fast which is why it has such a fresh look but I had his right eye too far out. I brought his eye in, raised it slightly and narrowed the right side of his face. My husband & biggest critic (which is helpful) thinks this looks more like him.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Zach at 10


This painting was done in 4 hours. It's so much fun to just have an idea and paint exactly what I want. I forget sometimes to do this. I love painting portraits and so many of mine have lots of things going on; that makes this so refreshing. I'll paint my other son Stokes when he comes home from Papa's house. I have not painted them every year and I wish had, but now I can start recording them at these precious ages before they won't let me paint them any more.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

"Her Secret Garden" accepted in Atlanta Fine Arts League 3rd Annual National Exhibition

This painting will be in Atlanta Fine Arts League's National Exhibition at the Roswell Visual Arts Center, inside Roswell Area Park, 10495 Woodstock Road. The juror is Ed Horlbeck, an award winning commercial and fine artist whose painting was recently featured on the cover of the March 2008 issue of The Artist's Magazine. The opening reception for "Observations" is August 14th, from 7 to 9 pm. It is open to the public & refreshments will be served. I hope you can come by! "Her Secret Garden" is one of my favorite paintings of mine and I'm happy it is being exhibited. The show runs through October 2nd.

Friday, July 10, 2009

2 Paintings in 22nd National Juried Art Exhibition of the South Cobb Arts Alliance

"Isabella & Edward" and "This One's Mine" were accepted into the 22nd Annual National Juried Art Exhibition by the South Cobb Arts Alliance. The juror for the exhibition is Tommy Mew. It's an honor to have these paintings in an exhibition with outstanding artists from all over the country. The opening reception is August 22nd , 7:00 - 9:00PM at the Mable House Arts Center, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton, GA 30126.  The show runs through September 28th. "Isabella & Edward"  is a portrait of the children of a really good friend & her husband. I had so much fun creating it. There are many elements in the painting that are special & meaningful to their parents. "This One's Mine" is an alla prima (painted in one session) painting of my son, Stokes, as he was picking out his pumpkin for Halloween.

Painting accepted in Juried Art Competition

"Amanda with Violin" was accepted for the Artist Guild of Northwest Georgia's 1st Annual Fine Art Juried Competition. The opening reception is Saturday, July 18, from 5 - 7 pm at the Booth Art Academy. The show runs from July 18 - August 14 at 1 North Gilmer Street, Cartersville, GA 30120.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Walker


I just finished this portrait of Walker. I will be delivering it tomorrow to his grandparents in Braselton. I was commissioned to paint this by Walker's grandfather's company out of Texas. The company surprised him with this gift. I photographed Walker in mid November and I had to move some things around to get the elements that the client wanted in the portrait. It's really been a pleasure working with this family and his company. I hope they'll enjoy this youthful reminder for many years to come.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Three Paintings in Portrait Society of Atlanta Summer Juried Exhibition
























"Maggie" (shown), "Maddalena", & "Nicholas" are accepted into the Portrait Society of Atlanta Juried Summer Exhibition. The opening reception is Saturday, June 6th, 7 PM at the Mable House, 5239 Floyd Rd., Mableton, GA. The juror for the show was Michael Del Priore, a nationally recognized artist. It's an honor just to be selected but I was very happy that all 3 of my pieces got in. The show runs through July 6th and is sponsored by the South Cobb Arts Alliance. The images of the other 2 portraits are in earlier posts on this blog.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Art From the Heart - You must watch for Memorial Day.

I just realized that my husband posted this video on my blog. We were going to put a link to this video which I have posted before but the earlier link doesn't work any more. I wanted to keep the memory of our fallen soldiers alive on this Memorial Day. Since it's already up, Let me explain what it is. GPB did a feature story on Art From the Heart, a project of the Atlanta Fine Arts league, which I co founded. Art From the Heart artists have put in hundreds of hours to paint the portraits of Georgia's fallen and donate them to their surviving family members. It is not a political statement on our part. As a matter of fact our artists have many different ideas about the war. No matter how you feel about the war we hope you will always honor and respect the soldiers and their families who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country. This video follows 3 of the families and the artists they worked with to create a memory that will last a lifetime. The artists featured in this special are Lisa Gleim, Geri Zaki and myself. We honored the families with a reception at the National Museum of Patriotism in September 2007. This aired in January 2008. There are 2 parts so be sure to watch both parts - it's very touching.





Sunday, May 17, 2009

Still Life Wins Third Place


Italian Still Life with Fruit won Third Place in the Olde Town Gallery Juried Exhibition in Conyers, GA. My family went to the reception. My sons Zach, 10 & Stokes, 8 made the most of being dragged to another art event. I was very impressed with the gallery and the studio space there.
Posted by Picasa

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Maggie



This is my latest portrait, Maggie. I painted her sister, Caroline, a couple of years ago so I had to make it the same size - they may hang in the same room. Caroline's portrait had a Spring setting and this one is Fall. I took this picture and, as always, I will post the better photo when I get it.

AFAL at Quinlan




















































Atlanta Fine Art League has it's members exhibition, Contemplations, at The Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville now through June 7th. This is a beautiful exhibit with works from 31 artists. You should definitely get by to see it before it ends. I have 5 pieces in the exhibit. The Gainesville Times reviewed the show. Click the link below to read the article.

http://www.GainesvilleTimes.com/news/article/17212/

Atlanta Fine Arts League
"Contemplations" 2009 Members Exhibition
April 2 - June 7, 2009
Quinlan Visual Arts Center
514 Green Street NE, Gainesville GA 30501
770-536-2575 -- http://www.quinlanartscenter.org/