DIscovering Presence Healing Art Exhibit

 Sean Leonard – Artist Biography

“Every stroke counts, every act has meaning.” These words guide the artistic process of Sarasota resident Sean Leonard. No matter what is being created, the process remains the same: Check in and become silent, feel for the unspoken desires within, follow the impulse into expression. Within that process, of course, there are decisions to be made and techniques to be mastered but the unfolding of each creative act is one of faith, and discovery.

Through oil, watercolor, wood, shell and stone Sean creates images of a world beyond words or definition but completely tangible to the intuitive self. He paints a vision of Unity and coexistence not only through imagery, but also with words and through movement. He is a fluid expression of a single ideal; and that ideal is healing.

 

Through food, dance, medicine, and art Sean practices his craft, and attributes a large portion of his influences to time spent living in Japan in both high-school and college. It was here where he began to develop his painterly brush technique. “I spent thousands of hours writing Japanese Kanji, with specific attention on direction and sequence. After a while your body just knows how to express each motion.”

Later on, his intensive study and internships with Chinese Gong Fu further solidified the concepts originally acquired through Japanese calligraphy. “It is really one art when you think about it. The brush work is the microcosm of the martial arts. There is meaning in the movements, and that relates to the body in very intricate ways. I try to convey those relationships through my art.”

Sean’s further training took him into Acupuncture and Chinese medicine. “This helped me to solidify the connection between the body and the external lines of force, trained within the external arts.” Within Chinese medicine theory, Sean developed a language of motion specific to the body which he teaches as a form of movement Alchemy. “When you understand the flow of your own energy, you begin to understand the flow of energy in general. This helps each of us function more effectively within the world. Art, painting specifically, is the one place I am able to both externalize and witness my own self. This has helped me to become present to who I really Am.”

Sean is the creator of Quantum Potentials, an intuitive card deck and manual – self-discovery tool. “I used my own experiences, captured within my art, to reframe some essential elements of being human, not as arbitrary occurrences, but as necessary steps to growth. I think we get scared when we don’t understand the larger context of our circumstances, and I wanted to use my journey to help others find strength amidst those challenges.”

Most recently Sean completed work on the book Heart of Awakening; a treatise on self-mastery and global healing. “One way or another, I want people to experience being part of something larger. I want people to realize how magical we are, and how much we can do if we simply stand together. “

Watercolor Compilations

Sean began painting with watercolors while living in Japan in 1997. Over the course of several years he began developing his unique style with the medium. “I wanted to capture the movement of light and energy. I was starting to experience more of this in my meditations, and I wanted to be able to spend time exploring it. Watercolor was a good medium for that because it is so transparent, and the colors are also vibrant against the white paper.”

He had completed several hundred depictions of energy leading up to the turn of the millennium when his focus began to shift. “My paintings had come to represent a place I would go, like a world beyond the veil. I wanted to see if I could expand this world by linking my images together. It became a bit of an obsession, and I started chopping up my paintings to get the pieces to flow together. In retrospect, I could have simply painted new connections, but such is the process…”

Around 2004, Sean completed a series of very intricate watercolors which he had photographed and reproduced as Giclee prints. “That opened the door for an entirely new experience of linking the images together. I could use one image in several ways at the same time, and capitalize on the various perspectives I had captured. Really, the possibilities became endless.”

The end result of that process is a series of compilation paintings which take the viewer into a world of movement and energy. “I love to explore the interconnections between all things. Using different images in synthesis is an exhilarating process for me. I learn about life through my art, and bringing things together in harmonious ways is something I am extremely passionate about. I think it is important to demonstrate that when two or more people, objects, or images merge there is something entirely new which comes out of that. That is the message I want to take to the world.”

Square Format - Quantum Potentials System

Sean has completed over 100 images in the Quantum Potentials series. Each painting is a lesson, and an exploration into the meaning behind real life events and emotions. This approach developed organically as Sean used painting as an outlet for personal struggles, stressors, and unfolding mysteries within his life. “Painting is how I deal with things for which I have no reference. If I am confused, painting is a way for me to have a conversation with the fears and doubts surrounding me.”

For Sean, painting is not only an outlet, but a metaphor for life itself. “The way I approach a painting is very much like the way I approach life. Sometimes it is haphazard and reckless, reactionary and unconscious. In that case my work becomes sloppy and disjointed. I may make forward progress only to see it all undone in the next moment. Yet, when I can be still, find my internal alignment and paint from the center of my chest, really in my heart, I know I am approaching my work, and my life, with integrity and purpose.”

Sean approaches his work, not with a mental objective, but with a constant focus on body awareness and heart-centered presence. “Often times I am not sure what I am trying to achieve, I can just feel that something needs to happen. If I feel a need to bring more grounding into the work I will choose colors which give me that experience, and so on. The way it all unfolds is as much a discovery to me as it is anything else.”

By taking time to process the information and experience the work as he goes, Sean has created a roadmap of reference points which define his evolution as an artist, healer, and father. “My lessons are grounded into my paintings. I have taken a lot of time to write about my findings as a way of claiming the growth opportunities they represent. It is a bit like being a collector, I gather experience by painting it, and then carry that information forward into my life.”

 

The result of this approach to painting is a system known as Quantum Potentials. It is a 90 image card deck and 267 page manual describing the processes around his work, and written in a way that motivates others to find context within their experiences. “I found it helpful to identify at least four factors within the process of each painting. The first is the process itself. The second is the way that I block or resist that process. The third is the way that I begin to engage the process, and the fourth is the evolution of my awareness which comes through the process at its resolution.”

As an acupuncturist, and intuitive healer Sean has used his system to help open up dialogues with clients, and bring healing into the mental and emotional realms of the body and mind. “Healing others is a complex web of education, empowerment, and support. By expanding the context of our conversation to include thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, I feel I am better able to address my clients’ core issues, and help them discover a deeper connection to themselves.”