Leon Sarantos

Joined Artfinder: July 2013

Artworks for sale: 103

(4)

United States

Updates from Leon Sarantos's studio

  • My UChicago art at Glessner House Museum

    My UChicago art at Glessner House Museum

    I am an architect, as well as an artist, and I enjoy painting the University of Chicago campus. These paintings are inspired by the beauty of the Gothic Revival architecture in the Main Quadrangle, symbolizing the conservative traditions and stable framework of the university, contrasting with the life and vibrancy of the ever-changing student population, illustrated with their multiple electronic devices, backpacks, and diversity. My UChicago art is on display at the Glessner House Museum in Chicago, Illinois until November 27th.

    22 June 2016
    Painting on Spring Break in Hawaii

    Painting on Spring Break in Hawaii

    Last year I escaped the cold weather in Chicago to celebrate Easter in Hawaii. While I was there the beauty of nature inspired me to paint outdoors. The result is my painting, “Garden Pool, Palm Villa, Oahu.”

    23 March 2016
    Creating "Garden Retreat"

    Creating "Garden Retreat"

    I created “Garden Retreat” en plein air one summer during the annual “Artists In the Garden” event, hosted by Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, Illinois. The garden I painted, "Jardin Delacroix" in Flossmoor, is quite lovely. I sought to portray it as a peaceful and inviting scene, with a small pond as the focal point. As I continued to work on the painting, I was influenced by the interplay of shade and light in the garden art of the Impressionists.

    14 January 2016
    PAINTINGS ON EXHIBITION: “WINTER WOODS” AT INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPES: IMPRINTS OF THE SOUTH SHORE

    PAINTINGS ON EXHIBITION: “WINTER WOODS” AT INDIGENOUS LANDSCAPES: IMPRINTS OF THE SOUTH SHORE

    Honorable Mention: I am especially pleased to receive an Honorable Mention award for my art at the regional, juried exhibit, Indigenous Landscapes: Imprints of the South Shore. My painting, Winter Woods, is among six artworks to receive an award, with over 100 artworks on display. Jurors included: David Detmer, Jocelyn J. Prue, Alex Schaufele and Ann Fritz. Display at the Indiana Welcome Center this l March. This exhibit is part of Indigenous World, which is a year-long celebration on a worldwide scale of indigenous people and their culture, native settings, artwork, literary works and more. The Center for Arts and Culture at the University of Notre Dame is leading this collaboration for the Great Lakes region. Other collaborators include White Ripple Gallery, and the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.

    07 April 2015
    Paintings On Exhibition, National Juried Exhibit: Mad World

    Paintings On Exhibition, National Juried Exhibit: Mad World

    I’m very pleased that all three of my “Organic Creatures” paintings were selected for “Mad World.” This national juried exhibit was on view at Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights in 2013. Only 60 artworks from among 271 were selected by juror Natalie Domchenko (Director: Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago). My “Organic Creatures” paintings combine a feeling of whimsy with a sense of bizarre absurdity. For the first of these artworks, Organic Creatures Going To The Beach, I actually envisioned it in an instant behind my eyelids as I was rubbing my eyes after some tiring work. I tried to apply the image to canvas immediately, adding all kinds of color and quick composition, while keeping the main figures true to my vision. When finished, I looked at the painting and felt that here were some strange creatures doing something, and sensed that they were on their way to the beach. I then created more oils of this same family of creatures moving about in different settings. My other paintings for this exhibit include Organic Creatures Taking The White House Tour, and Organic Creatures Slurping Up A Mango Smoothie.

    12 February 2015
    Creating Abstract Art At Paul Henry's Art Gallery

    Creating Abstract Art At Paul Henry's Art Gallery

    The South Lake Artist's Co-op 4TH Anniversary Group Show at Paul Henry’s Art Gallery - featured art by 25 Midwest artists this winter. I was one of several artists creating live in the gallery. My painting, “Tabbies In The Red Yarn,” is from a series of with the theme of networks. In this series, I use painted networks to create a single result from its many individual lines. These random lines that all join together to create an unexpected result, or in my case, a surprise image. I start by applying swatches of color to the canvas in a random but controlled composition. Then, using a single color, I start outlining these swatches. Eventually, a figure or scene starts to emerge as the lines are laid in, just as a social network starts to take on a life of its own to create its final phenomena. Like reading a Rorschach inkblot, my subconscious offers up a recognizable shape or scene from the materializing network. In this process, my painting, “Tabbies In The Red Yarn,” evolved. About Paul Henry's Art Gallery. The gallery is in Downtown Hammond, Indiana, the gallery within a half hour drive of all of Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana as well as Chicago's Loop. The gallery is a virtual time capsule, featuring display cases and shelves dating from the 1920’s. Over 100 artists are represented. Visiting Paul Henry’s Art Gallery is more than just a trip to a gallery, it’s a trip back in time.

    14 June 2014