Tricia Poulos-Leonard

I am a graduate of UCLA with a degree in studio art. While at UCLA I studied with Richard Diebenkorn, who greatly influenced my development at an artist. I followed my university years with 30 years teaching, counseling and administering in the California public schools. I have been a fulltime artist since retiring in 2007. I have since attended classes with John Salmenin, Robert Burridge, Donna Watson and many other contemporary artists. These classes and my background in Abstract Expressionism have greatly influenced my current painting style.

In my abstract style, I can express my innermost emotions. I hope to reach the viewer through a deep understanding of the subconscious directions our minds take us. I have developed my own approach using watercolor, acrylic, and collage materials to create original mixed media abstract images of people, animals, buildings, still lifes, and pure abstractions. My way of working is highly original. I sometimes start with an idea of what I will be painting, but the idea takes on a life of its own in the course of the creation. As I work on a piece, I find that thoughts and feelings that I have suppressed come through the painting as it progresses. My inspirations are from my relationships as a wife and mother, my travels throughout the world, and my own internal struggle to understand the meaning of life.

My hope is that my work will communicate recognition of common human experience and joy to my viewers. My work expresses all of the emotions, from pure joy with life to the dark moments we all experience.