Born in Montreal, Leona Heillig has spent her life surrounded by artists and musicians. She has studied dance, theatre, self-defence, Tai Chi and visual arts. Years ago, she fell in love with watercolour and has never looked back, although she also enjoys doing collage, and drawing in pencil, charcoal and ink. Since 2008, Leona has participated in over 15 exhibits in Montreal. No matter the subject, be it still life, landscape, portraiture or abstraction, Leona is interested in the borders between objects and shapes, and between realism and abstraction.
She puts her lifelong experience as an educator to good use teaching watercolour and drawing, both in the community and for art schools such as the Visual Arts Centre and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Her relaxed, non-judgemental teaching style lets students explore their creativity in a safe and friendly atmosphere. She finds teaching via Zoom to be a positive and rewarding experience for herself and for her students.
GROUP EXHIBITS
Ten Strokes of the Brush,Galerie Mile-End, 2008 Through the Window,Galerie Mile-End, 2009 Abstracts,Galerie Mile-End, 2009 Ten Strokes of the Brush,Galerie Mile-End, 2009 Trees,Galerie Mile-End, 2010 Portraits,Galerie Mile-End, 2010 Still Life,Galerie Mile-End, 2011 Ten Strokes of the Brush,Centre St-Ambroise, 2011 Abstracts,Galerie Mile-End, 2011 A Square Affair,Galerie McLure, 2011 Au féminin,Galerie Mile-End, 2012 Still Life,Galerie Mile-end, 2012 10 Strokes of the Brush,Galerie L’espace contemporain de Montréal, 2013 A Square Affair,Galerie McLure, 2015 Secret Studio,Galerie McLure, 2017 En Couleur,Galerie McLure, 2019 Teachers' Exhibit,Galerie McLure, 2022
SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITS
Traces Vitales,Mainline Gallery, 2016 Wish You Were Here,Galerie L’espace contemporain de Montréal, 2018 Making Space,en ligne/online, 2022 Meeting Points,Galerie Erga, 2024
TEACHING ART
Visual Arts Centre, 2015 to the present Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2019 to the present Milton Park Recreation Association, 2012 to the present Ateliers d’éducation populaire du Plateau, 2012 to 2019 Centre Jean-Claude Malépart, 2020
