Meet Christopher Leeper | Artist/art instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christopher Leeper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christopher, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Since I was very young, this seemed to be the path I would always follow. I was drawing from a very young age and was encouraged by my parents. The part that wasn’t clear was how I would make it a career. That worked itself out as time went on.

Living an artistic life has been my self-identity for so long, that I can’t imagine not being in some kind of creative field.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have a BFA in Graphic Design. I worked for 10 years after graduation as a designer for an ad agency and then a healthcare system. During that time of a 9-5 job, I was making plans to be a self-employed artist.

In 1999, I quit my job to be a full-time artist. 24 years later I am still going strong.

I have made it work by being flexible and trying lots of avenues within my scope of painting and illustration.

I did freelance illustration for several years then in 2006, I began teaching part-time at a university. I taught there for 22 years. That experience was so enjoyable I started offering adult classes at my studio and then started teaching workshops. Today, I still teach a handful of studio classes and online sessions. I also travel throughout the country teaching workshops,

I now have a comfortable balance of studio painting and teaching.

It has been an up-and-down experience to be self-employed. The hardest thing to adjust to was the inconsistent flow of income. There have been some lean years when our children were young and we were paying for daycare, etc. The fact that my wife also works made it possible for us to make it through those times.

The payoff is a very flexible lifestyle. I was able to be home when my kids grew up. I can set my own schedule and explore my creative interests. I have traveled and met so many amazing artists and individuals. I feel very blessed.

I am a landscape painter. I have worked very hard to hone my craft so that my work is recognized nationally. My art has been featured in many national art magazines and journals, This exposure has allowed me to enjoy better sales and more teaching opportunities. I also participate in plein air painting competitions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would include a visit to: Mill Creek Park in Youngstown;
The Butler Institute of American Art
MVR restaurant
Aquapazzo Restaurant
Whitehouse Fruit Farm
Birdfish Brewery
Gervasi Winery

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I went to a vocational school and studied commercial art. My teacher was Jerry Zona. Jerry was such an influential individual. Other than my parents, I can’t think of anyone who molded and influenced me more.

Jerry taught commercial art but in that limited structure, you also learned about art history, music history, literature, and how you could and should carve out a creative life for yourself.

He made it possible for me to feel confident that in some way or somehow I would be an artist. That is such a gift to give to a young person.

Website: www.christopherleeper.com

Instagram: @cleeper

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.leeper.75/

Youtube: christopher leeper