Born in Waipawa in 1963, but spent most of her adult life in Wellington were she worked as a freelance graphic designer and stylist in the film industry. After having 2 children, Beanie and Billie she and her husband spent 4 years in the Wairarapa, before moving to the Bay of Islands. It was there that the extreme isolation drove her back to her art. "I have a huge concern for the environment. In Northland, with it’s lush beauty, the kind of change and development that is taking place on the landscape I found disturbing. We have such a great opportunity, being such a young country, to learn from the rest of the world’s mistakes. The blend of Maori, new immigrant and early settler populations had stark differences in how they lived and how they saw the future in the Bay of Islands and Far North. It became of interest to me and was a powerful influence in my work. I have a passion for nostalgia. The way things were, old baches, un-developed beachscapes, and the vibrant colour of the painted houses in small towns like Morewa, Kawakawa, Kohukohu and Rawine. I love to mix the traditional colours of New Zealand; black, brown, red, and white with the bright more pacific colours used by some Maori on houses and carvings. I also mix lace with flax, teapots with traditional Maori tools and religious icons with spiritual objects from the land." Oars on paper or canvas are reproductions of Leanne’s early work while living in Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands and from her first sell out show at Black Barn Gallery in Hawke’s Bay. Leanne has had 2 sell out shows at Black Barn gallery and is currently working on a number of commissions and a new show in august. Available on Poly cotton acid free canvas Photo Rag 308gsm Originals scanned at Heritage Archival Imaging Facility, National Library, Wellington on a Cruse CS 185Sl450 Synchrome Light scanner. Printed on Epson printers using Epson pigment inks.