The Fairfield Art Association announces
the May 3 opening of a new painting exhibit
by two award winning artists from Des Moines.
Leslie Leavenworth is showing her oil paintings
and Jan Vander Linden her watercolors
in the Main Gallery
of the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.
Leslie is a nurse by vocation and an artist by avocation. She began painting classes
at age 6, studied drawing & painting at the University of Virginia, and continued to study art in California at community colleges in Fremont and Santa Barbara.
Since moving to Des Moines 20 years ago, Leslie has fallen in love with the
quiet beauty of the Iowa landscape. You will find her most weekends painting on
location with the Saturday sketch group or studying portraits under Mary Muller. Leslie
is experimental in her approach, trying a variety of mediums and subject ideas. Her
artwork is an eclectic mix of landscapes, portraits, and abstracts reflecting this journey
of exploration.
Leslie has participated in juried shows in the metro area, and her awards include Best in
Show at the Iowa State Fair Fine Arts, the Hoyt Sherman Women’s Show and the
Heritage Gallery Des Moines Exhibited. She is a Signature member of the Iowa
Watercolor Society where she has won several awards, and has Exhibited in Octagon National Juried All Media Exhibit. She believes she paints best out of her joy, and she finds great satisfaction in
communicating that joy to others through her artwork. She looks forward to traveling to Italy this year for an art workshop.
Jan Vander Linden was born in Osceola, Iowa in 1947. She went through her school years in Des Moines and then attended Iowa State University, majoring in Advertising Design. After earning her living as a bookkeeper for ten years, in 1978 Jan quit to commit herself to her art, creating and selling watercolors and silkscreen prints.
Jan has marketed her work at the top art fairs in the U.S. including Cherry Creek Arts Festival (Denver CO), Contemporary Art Center of Virginia’s Boardwalk Art Show (Virginia Beach, VA), Sausalito Art Festival (Sausalito CA), Milwaukee Art Museum’s Lake Front Art Fair and the Plaza Art Festival (Kansan City MO). She is also represented at The Artisans Gallery in Iowa City, IA.
Individuals, public institutions and private businesses from around the world have purchased her work. In Iowa her work can be found at the Memorial Union and Vice President’s office at Iowa State University, Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames and Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. And, it was her design that graced the 1999 official holiday greeting card for the Governor’s office.
She was a long standing member of Associated Artists of Central Iowa and she has served on the Board of the Polk County Heritage Gallery and as the Gallery Director. She is signature member the Iowa Watercolor Society and has served in all their elected capacities. Currently she is their Traveling Exhibit Chair. She is also the Assistant Superintendent of Fine Arts at the Iowa State Fair.
