The versatility and raw artistic talent of Leonie E. Brown has been recognised and celebrated at a very early stage in this prolific painter’s career.At the tender age of twenty-two she has already won the prestigious 1986 Volkskas Atelier Fine Art Award, in addition to both the Schweicherd and Gregoire Boonzaaier Art Bursaries the year before.

As is often the case, such esteemed accolades can exert a substantial amount of pressure on a young artist, and for Leonie it was no different. A time of intense introspection followed, resulting in a clean break from painting for a period of ten years.
With the dawn of the new millennium, however, she returned with new vigour to her canvasses and brushes, and within a short period of time her renewed application and enthusiasm has enabled her to devote herself entirely to her unique brand of Art. As a result, she has been painting full-time since 2002.

Leonie has taken part and either been placed or won some of the most prestigious awards for Fine Art in South Africa, which includes the following:
Gregoire Boonzaaier Art Bursary, First prize, 1985.
Potchefstroom Talent Festival: First prize, 1986.
Schweikcherd Art Bursary for Painting.
Winner of Volkskas National Fine Art Competition. Placement and First Prize in Fine Art Category, 1986.
Rolfes Impressions. Placement in top 10 nationally.
Total Exhibition for Young Artists.

Her Abstract work has been described as Abstract Expressionism, but this has not limited Leonie’s oeuvre; her realistic work contains and conveys the same explosive energy as her conceptual creations. With the use of extremely thick impasto paint, bright and unusual colour combinations and her own secret intriguing technique, her work tends to overpower the space it occupies. She believes that the work in itself should be sufficient and powerful enough to carry out the message she is attempting to express.