“I think it was growing up around all of this water and light that must have influenced my choice of watercolor.”

Florida artist, Robert Leedy, believes there were early events that may have had an influence on his art. His mother took painting lessons in New York while she was pregnant. He has an early memory of frequently gazing at a reproduction of a Joan Miró painting from his crib. As a young child, he remembers his architect father rolling tracing paper down the hall and dropping pencils and crayons for the young Leedy to entertain himself.

Born in Winter Haven, Florida in 1956, Robert grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and showed early promise as an artist. While attending college at Valdosta State University, Leedy changed his major from Biology to Art after taking a very inspiring Drawing class - on a whim - as an elective. The professor teaching the class was surprised to learn he was not an Art major.

Upon graduation in 1979 with a BFA in Art, Robert returned to Jacksonville and worked as a graphic designer with a small design firm. He eventually landed into a job as a fine wine consultant with a local distributor. This launched a 12-year career in the wine business which led to a position in the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico where he met his wife, Vicky.

Leedy began painting full time and the couple spent many years living in places like Paris, Brussels, Buenos Aires and the Caribbean before returning to Jacksonville in 2010. “I think it was growing up around all of this water and light that must have influenced my choice of watercolor,” the artist claims. In 2013, his painting, “Ocean & Ahern” was included in Splash 14: Color & Light – The Best of Watercolor published by North Light Books. He has exhibited his work throughout the US and Puerto Rico and has past affiliations with Asociación de Acuarelistas de Puerto Rico, The Indiana Plein Air Painters Association and The Colorado Watercolor Society. He is currently a member of The National Watercolor Society. 

Robert Leedy maintains a working studio in the CoRK Arts District in Jacksonville’s Riverside area. The studio is closed to the public though tours can be arranged in advance by contacting the artist.

An Interview with Robert Leedy by Jen Jones in 2013 that Accompanied an Exhibition of Leedy’s work at RS&H Jacksonville:

How did you come up with ideas for your art?

My paintings usually have a relation to nature in some form. A walk on the beach or through the woods will provoke internal reflection that usually stirs up ideas for paintings. The physical surroundings might also provide me with ideas for images.

Many of my ideas will simmer on my internal back burner for quite some time. Something might visually catch my interest and I may pass by a scene multiple times thinking, this will make a good painting. With each sequential pass, ideas will collect and steep. Then one day a painting will begin. As I initiate the process, more ideas will flow and the need for editing comes in. Learning what to hold onto – and discard – is the key.

How did you make it? (physical and mental process)

I have two basic modes of work: studio and plein air. My studio paintings are usually more detailed as a result of relatively comfortable working conditions and occasional use of photography in the process. My plein air work, on the other hand, is more spontaneous and immediate; I’m out in the elements and there is a raw and sometimes more emotional response. You can definitely see the difference. I don’t really have a preference between the two and neither dominates my time over the other. But I will say that painting outdoors on a beautiful spring morning is a very satisfying part of my life.

For me, there is a real Zen thing happening when my brush loaded with watercolor pigment comes into contact with a fresh sheet of watercolor paper. It’s a very nice feeling.

And there is a flip side to this that I embrace: Technology. I use an iPad to photograph scenes, still life arrangements, figures, or anything that might inspire me. I use the iPad as a viewfinder and look for interesting compositions. I go on photo walks which are inspirational in themselves. Back in the studio, I can zoom in on objects using my iPad and get a look at things in a new perspective. Enlarging images to an extreme can create very abstract imagery. It also helps seeing colors and shapes in detail that you might not normally notice on your own.

Many of my paintings can be quite a struggle initially and often go through ugly duckling stages; when I was younger, I would tear them up and move on; as I matured, I learned to hang in there, have faith, and work through them. These are the best paintings I create.

What do you see as the strengths of your art, visually or conceptually?

My response to light is quite evident in my work. I think that is a big factor in what draws people to it. Light & color are common denominators in my paintings. I also like to let the medium of watercolor shine – I push the transparency, glazing or multiple layers and I allow the colors to mingle. I like the effect of granulating colors and I allow my colors to mix on the paper as opposed to mixing in the palette. I never completely know how a painting will end up – I enjoy the discovery process and quirky nature of the medium and give it room to lead the direction of the painting to some extent. Keeping it spontaneous and open for forks in the road; I am the chaperone, I guess one could say…

What is the best comment you have ever heard from a patron and/or viewer of your artwork?

People frequently tell me my work makes them happy. I don’t always take this well. I mean, isn’t that what they say about Yanni’s music?

Someone once posted a Florida watercolor by John Singer Sargent on Facebook; a good artist friend of mine saw it and told me she thought, oh look, a new watercolor by Robert Leedy. She realized her mistake and told me about it. What could be a better compliment? That made my day.

I think more importantly, when my students tell me they are inspired while watching me paint or that they are stoked by a lesson – or feel better about their work as a result of my teaching – now that, is the best thing that can be said about one’s work.

What artist or artists – art historic or contemporary – inspire you the most?

I think most watercolorists will have John Singer Sargent and Winslow Homer on top of their list of influential artists. I would add, Charles Burchfield, Charles Demuth, Maurice Prendergast, Childe Hassam, Henri Edmond Cross, and John Marin. Fairfield Porter’s paintings remind me of a sunny, summer day. I also like Georgia O’Keefe’s bold & free color, Edward Hopper’s response to architecture in watercolor and Paul Klee’s experiments with rhythmic color. I’m always drawn to Richard Diebenkorn’s sense of design & composition applied to abstract painting. Joaquin Sorolla is an absolute master painter with a wonderful eye for light.

For contemporary watercolorists, I like the work of David Dewey, Charles Reid, Nicholas Simmons, Shirley Trevena and Lucy Willis. Of course, my architect father is a big inspiration for his enthusiasm and dedication to his art, his commitment to quality and integrity in his work along with his love of aesthetics and life itself. There’s not a brighter source of inspiration on my list.