2023 Ohio Watercolor Society Jim Brower Lifetime Achievement Award
Christopher Leeper
Canfield, Ohio
Christopher Leeper is a realist painter and workshop instructor painting in all mediums. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania and attended Youngstown State University (YSU). He graduated in 1988 with a BFA degree in Graphic Design and subsequently worked as a graphic designer for an ad agency and a health care system.
Even while working he was continually painting, entering shows and competitions. Some highlights from this period include winning the Pennsylvania Conservation Trout Stamp in 1997 and 2003; winning Best in Show, Area Artist Regional Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH; and exhibiting in the American Watercolor Society’s Annual exhibition, NY.
In 2000, along with his wife Kathy, Chris moved to Canfield, OH. He also quit his job at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Youngstown, OH., built a studio and became a full-time artist.
During this time, Chris had been teaching part-time at YSU. Since he no longer had a full-time job, he took on more university classes and began teaching classes in his studio, as well. The enjoyment and fulfillment he got from teaching was surprising since that was never a career goal. Many of his students have gone on to win numerous awards and achieve signature status, most notably in the Ohio Watercolor Society. In 1997, he began teaching workshops in all media. He now teaches as many as twelve workshops per year throughout the country.
One of his main goals after establishing his studio was to do more illustration work. Chris did numerous border illustrations for the wallcovering industry. By the end of 2005, he had also illustrated four children’s books for the Smithsonian and the African Wildlife Foundation and had written and illustrated the book Realism in Watermedia, (North Light).
In 2015, Chris began competing in plein air competitions. Some notable events include Easton Plein Air, Door County Plein Air, En Plein Air Texas and the Cape Ann Plein Air Festival. He is an active board member for the Ohio Plein Air Society.
Chris’s work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, Plein Air Magazine, Watercolor Magic and Ohio Magazine and in the book Splash 14 (North Light). In 2021, he was a finalist in the Plein Air Magazine Salon and was featured in the Aug./Sept. 2021 issue of the magazine.
A prolific painter, Chris has participated in national exhibitions with the American Watercolor Society, American Impressionists Society, Oil Painters of America and National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society. His award-winning work has been shown in solo and juried exhibitions throughout the country, and he has twice received the Gold Medal in Watercolor Ohio, the annual juried exhibition of the Ohio Watercolor Society in addition to more than a dozen other awards.
Chris is past president (2008-2012) of the Ohio Watercolor Society and is a signature member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society and Oil Painters of America. He is on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Plein Air Society and the Cliffside Artists Collaborative, Hinckley, OH.
In response to the question often asked of artists, “Why do you paint?”, Chris’s response is two-fold. First is his upbringing in rural western Pennsylvania, which left an impression on the sense of how he looks at the world, with an excitement and a need to respond when confronted with a sublime landscape. The second is what he considers his muse: the light. Always looking for that moment when light, shadow, and form all come together, Chris enjoys representation but will often alter a painting as it develops. For him, the act of painting is one of discovery and possibility, so his paintings are usually more distillations than true representations.
