Hilton Leech was born in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1906. His artistic education began at the Grand Central Art School where he became the assistant of George Pearce Ennis, his instructor. In 1931, he went with Ennis to teach at the new Ringling Art School in Sarasota, Fla. Leech remained at the Ringling School of Art and Design until 1945 except for three years during the 1930s when he accepted two commissions for WPA post office murals. These public works pieces are representative of the American Social Realist artists flourishing at that time. Leech contributed to the war effort by creating aircraft construction directions in Buffalo, N.Y. After World War II, he returned to Florida and opened his own school in Sarasota. In 1960, following three summers of teaching in the Jeffers area, Leech and his artist wife, Dorothy Sherman Leech, set up an art school in Virginia City in the basement of a home they purchased there.
Many of Leech's western landscapes mirror his interest in nature and science. He experimented with a variety of media and unusual materials to achieve startling contrasts in textures and in transparent and opaque areas within his work. An innovator, Leech stepped away from the traditional handling of watercolor to achieve rich color resulting in powerful renderings that speak to the grandeur and mystery of the American West.
He died suddenly in Virginia City at the age of 63. His book, "The Joys of Watercolor," was completed by his student and accomplished watercolorist Emily Holmes in 1970. Leech received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career and inspired hundreds of students during his teaching years.
Many of Leech's western landscapes mirror his interest in nature and science. He experimented with a variety of media and unusual materials to achieve startling contrasts in textures and in transparent and opaque areas within his work. An innovator, Leech stepped away from the traditional handling of watercolor to achieve rich color resulting in powerful renderings that speak to the grandeur and mystery of the American West.
He died suddenly in Virginia City at the age of 63. His book, "The Joys of Watercolor," was completed by his student and accomplished watercolorist Emily Holmes in 1970. Leech received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career and inspired hundreds of students during his teaching years.
Hilton Leech was born in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1906. His artistic education began at the Grand Central Art School where he became the assistant of George Pearce Ennis, his instructor. In 1931, he went with Ennis to teach at the new Ringling Art School in Sarasota, Fla. Leech remained at the Ringling School of Art and Design until 1945 except for three years during the 1930s when he accepted two commissions for WPA post office murals. These public works pieces are representative of the American Social Realist artists flourishing at that time. Leech contributed to the war effort by creating aircraft construction directions in Buffalo, N.Y. After World War II, he returned to Florida and opened his own school in Sarasota. In 1960, following three summers of teaching in the Jeffers area, Leech and his artist wife, Dorothy Sherman Leech, set up an art school in Virginia City in the basement of a home they purchased there.
Many of Leech's western landscapes mirror his interest in nature and science. He experimented with a variety of media and unusual materials to achieve startling contrasts in textures and in transparent and opaque areas within his work. An innovator, Leech stepped away from the traditional handling of watercolor to achieve rich color resulting in powerful renderings that speak to the grandeur and mystery of the American West.
He died suddenly in Virginia City at the age of 63. His book, "The Joys of Watercolor," was completed by his student and accomplished watercolorist Emily Holmes in 1970. Leech received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career and inspired hundreds of students during his teaching years.
Many of Leech's western landscapes mirror his interest in nature and science. He experimented with a variety of media and unusual materials to achieve startling contrasts in textures and in transparent and opaque areas within his work. An innovator, Leech stepped away from the traditional handling of watercolor to achieve rich color resulting in powerful renderings that speak to the grandeur and mystery of the American West.
He died suddenly in Virginia City at the age of 63. His book, "The Joys of Watercolor," was completed by his student and accomplished watercolorist Emily Holmes in 1970. Leech received numerous awards and recognition throughout his career and inspired hundreds of students during his teaching years.
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