I'm a fantasy painter and sculptor who is getting to know myself as an artist for the first time. One big reason for this is my upcoming one woman show at Zahra's Studio in Beacon, New York! I need about 25 paintings and this commitment has made me see my art in a whole new light! Currently, my paintings and sculptures are sold on my web site and on eBay. My images are licensed by Heaven and Earth Designs, Blue Moon Candles, and The Fairy Society. I enjoy meeting new Faerie People on the web and in person, so thanks for stopping by!
Music:I listen to everything: punk, new age, new wave, 80s dance, heavy metal, classical, Native American flute music, grunge, (some) country, blue grass, funk, soundtracks, disco, Gregorian chant... to name a few. If I like it, it gets added to the ipod!
Movies:The Crying Game, all Harry Potter, Chocolat, The Hunt for Red October, Heat, The Shipping News, Pulp Fiction, Thunderheart, Starman, Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, Master and Commander, A Good Year, almost all Merchant Ivory films, LOTR, Legend, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, anything Johhy Depp and/or Tim Burton American Beauty... um, Wow! too many to mention!
TV:My favorite new show is Burn Notice. Other than that, I don't watch much except I like watching these reruns: Northern Exposure (not really shown any more, but one of the best TV series ever!) Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett, Friends, Charmed, Angel, Buffy
Books:Emily Dickinson, folklore, mythology (especially Celtic) Wiccan lore and spell books, Eat Pray Love, Anne Rice, The Secret History, anything Carole Maso, Shakespeare, The Story of English...the list goes on...
Likes:faerie art in all forms, mythology, folklore, psychology, chameleons, dark, dark chocolate, autumn and winter with lots of snow! walking, forests, streams, mountains, dahlias, foxgloves, people who respect all forms of life, religious belief, and sexual orientation.
Dislikes:People who don't respect the rights of others.
Hobbies:My hobbies are my creations, my creations are my hobbies.
Vices:I love overindulging in sweets and alcohol--hiccup!
Virtues:I am a humanitarian and try to treat everyone with respect.
Heroes:My dad, my husband, anyone who ever tried to capture a dream and succeeded.
This weekend went by so fast! My husband and I drove up to Beacon, NY to hang the show. It looks wonderful! I'm very excited! It was great to meet Vanessa and Keith--thanks guys! Below you can get a sneak peek at the show in progress. My husband did all the framing, and I'm so happy with how the paintings look. Thanks, Hun! At the end you can see a tired me and Vanessa, Curator of Zahra's Studio. :-) (See full images in my Blog Photos Gallery!)
Saturday, September 27, 2008, 09:12 AM EST [General]
Wow, I can't believe almost ten months have gone by since I started working on pieces for my one-woman show, now titled "Finding Faerie: the Art of JM Leotti." It's going to be a great show, and I've actually asked some special guests to share my special day! Read all about it below, and if you can make it, come by and join me and my friends on October 11th from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. for a night of fantasy art, Faerietinis, Faerie cakes, fantasy story, music and fun! I'm in a partying mood! I want to thank Vanessa Tellez for all her hard work, moral support, ideas, enthusiasm and just plain being there for me over the last ten months, and I want to thank Keith Zahra for his enthusiasm, support and hard work in making this happen. I want to thank both of them for finding me and asking me to be a part of their progressive and never shy gallery--bravo to you two for taking risks! I'm really looking forward to the opening, and to meeting new friends and like-minded faerie folk! (See my October calendar for more details.) See you there!
Friday, September 12, 2008, 04:18 PM EST [General]
New painting above! "Spirit of the Forest"! Okay, so it's been a long, busy summer and as you know, if you've been reading this blog, I've been working since January on sculptures and paintings for my upcoming one-woman show at Zahra's Studio in Beacon New York. If you've been to my web site recently, you will have read the news! If you are just joining me, the little paragraph below details when and where. If you live in the area, I would love to meet you, so please drop by the show opening: My Fantasy and Faerie art will be on exhibit from October 6th to November 15th at Zahra's Studio in Beacon, New York. Show Opening: October 11th From 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. I will be available to sign, meet and greet! Special guests: local writer Roland Capalbo will read from his new book, The Dragon & the Faerie featuring my artwork on the cover. Musical guests The Gentling will play beginning 9:00 p.m.. It's going to be a great show, so come and party with us!
Zahra's Studio 496 Main Street Beacon, New York Phone: 845-838-6311
Next, please stop by Ye Olde Witches Brew Magazine and check out my interview with owner and publisher, Jennifer Toppel. She asked some really great questions and got me thinking about my childhood, my art, and what it means to be a fantasy artist. You can see the article here: Ye Olde Witches Brew Magazine.
And, stop by my web site to see the latest merchandise and new paintings and prints! Recently my images have been licensed by Blue Moon Candles! Create your own candle! It's easy! Choose your favorite of my images for the jar, then choose your own scent! When the candle burns down, keep your decorative jar for trinkets and collectibles of all kinds! Makes a great gift! Check it out here: Blue Moon Candles.
Lastly, but certainly not least, my sculpture "Faery Witch" (seen below, not the baby) was published in the November 2008 issue of Contemporary Doll Collector Magazine! You can see her in the Gallery section on page 61. You can also see images on my sculpture web site, www.jmleotti.com. Thanks so much for taking a peek at my art work!
Here is my latest painting, "Calling the Raven." The original will be for sale at my show in October. Stay tuned for prices and how to purchase if you can't make the show. Prints will soon be available. Thanks for looking!
Wow, I'm so excited to show you the finished sculpture "Morgan Le Fay." I'm really pleased with how she turned out. Thanks for all your kind words as I was working on her. She will be for sale at my upcoming show in October. I will be posting a list of all available paintings and sculptures for those who can't make it to the show, so stay tuned for prices and how to purchase! For now, here are her photos:
Autumn is my favorite season, I wanted to share my Pumpkin Pixie with you. Happy Fall from Enchanted Designs, I hope to see you at Faerie Con coming up!
Glad you liked it. Here, I've really found a great source of inspiration among artist such as your self. My other writings are very minor to include a quirky autobiography called After My Death and ironically enough obituaries. If you have Faerie Magazine I had a piece in there Autumn '05 issue called Another Time Another Place. I'm hoping to compile 18 more pieces so I can publish a 100 piece collection of poetry and stories.
Hello Janice, the pleasure is all ours =) & we appreciate you joining our community too! Warm welcomes & thank you's for sharing your gorgeous, enchanted art with us here ~ I've loved mooching around your EF Gallery {Winter's Wisdom is amazing} wishing you a happy, successful Show... I, too love foxgloves, especially because the beautiful bumble bees can get right up inside the flower bells ~ there's a perfect pale pink one in our cottage garden this year & I look forward each spring to see which colours will grow wild, yay!
Big smiles & waves dear friend,
Welcome to EF Janice. So nice to see you here! Your art work is lovely. I really appreciate the Magical quality you have in your paintings. I wish you much luck with your show.
Best wishes,
She is stunning! I LOVE her costume!
Enchanted Oaks03:18 AM EST