Peggy Leonard

"Bosque del Apache, NM, " a Pastel signed by Peggy Leonard

1995-96

Peggy Leonard received her BFA in painting and drawing and an associate’s degree in nursing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She is both a registered nurse and an accomplished artist, residing in Milwaukee, WI. From the artist: “These paintings are my prayers,” muses Leonard, reflecting on her driving need to express herself through her art. “We are made of the stuff that requires us to respond with our hearts and hands. Often, it requires terrible sacrifice and suffering, something not everyone can understand. But it is done with reverence of life, not irreverence.” Leonard’s pastels and oil paintings capture her reverence for life and reflect her own life’s journey, including earlier forays into the wilderness. Her venture into art began in early childhood, as childless neighbors nurtured her natural ability to draw; concurrently, Leonard’s parents instilled a respect for academic excellence and the higher order of nurturing others. As a young nurse, Leonard “heard and saw poignant messages to travel while one was young and free…while one had one’s health.” Consequently, she took to the open road and public lands, camping across America for months at a time. During these years, her “celebration of the natural splendor of this country” helped shape her sense of artistic expression. She was moved by such sights as the sunset on St. Mary’s Lake in Glacier National Park and triple rainbows over Taos Mountain- scenes that exposed her to “a magical movement of light, color, and energy upon the horizon that changed me forever.” Solo Exhibitions: 1996 "The Chosen Path", David Barnett Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1994 Unitarian Church North, Mequon, Wisconsin 1991 Dorothy Bradley Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1983 Uihlein Hall, Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin West Bank Cafe, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1980 Mentor Public Library, Mentor, Ohio Wisconsin Women's Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin St. Mary's Hospital, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1979 University National Bank, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Plankinton Mall Arcade, Milwaukee, Wisconsin