ARTIST: León

Originally from Córdoba, a picturesque town in the Spanish province of Andalucía, Ms. León grew up surrounded by her maternal grandmother’s art from whom she received an early introduction to oils and canvases. She attended real-time live human form workshops, and spent several years at the prestigious Bellas Artes School in Querétaro, México. Ms. Leon drew inspiration from renowned artists Santiago Carbonel, Hermenegildo Sosa and Francisco Toledo among others. However, most of her skills were self-taught and developed through years of practice, attention to detail and patience.
 
Ms. León has been painting professionally and showing her production in solo and collective exhibits since 1992.
 
She got established in California in 2002, first in San Diego and more recently in the Bay Area.
 
Over the years, Ms. León’s work has focused on a variety of subjects that reflect her emotions and surroundings. Ms. León developed a very personal style. Taking Innovative approaches to traditional themes has gradually defined Ms. León’s unique signature throughout the years. Considering the brushes, oils and canvases her infinite media of expression where ideas and dreams become real. Ms. Leon enjoys taking risks and playing with color.  The most insignificant items in everyday life become works of art that project her freedom and her passion for light and color.
 
Her latest series, “Doors of the World” represents her fascination for the cultural and spiritual value of such universal, common and essential elements.” Doors can lead to secrets, to people’s intimacy and their inner sanctuaries. The spectator in a way becomes a voyeur. Doors will open and let you out into the universe. Doors show the age of buildings, the suffering and the joy of the hands that hold their keys, the experience and the wisdom of the people. A door can be covered with gold and exude power and wealth. A humble door made of straw may be the only shield between a family and the perils of the most inhospitable environments. In theory, they are the same thing: doors. However, one is an aesthetical feature; the other one marks the line between life and death and to me, they are both sources of inspiration.”
 
Ms. Leon’s unique doors can only be found at Galerie Elektra in beautiful Sausalito.