Jasper artist Shirley Leonardi’s inspiration came from a strange place. After moving into a new home, she found the walls bare, and decided she had to do something about it. 

“We didn’t have anything on the walls of the house,” Leonardi said. 

Her first idea was to purchase a large Barb Brooks painting she loved. Once it was hung however, the cost was as large as the piece and buying more art was not in the budget. That’s when Leonardi picked up her own paint brush. 

It’s been 10 years, and Leonardi now has her own art gallery at home. She has painted so many works of art, she is able to rotate pieces to keep the house fresh. 

“I have more than what I need now,” she said. 

Her art gallery-like home shows her growth as an artist over the past 10 years.

“It’s good to see that I’ve progressed,” she said, adding that one of her favourite pieces is a scene from Maligne Lake she calls Serenity. 

Leonardi wasn’t always into painting – she says she quit painting long ago and didn’t expect to ever put a brush to canvas again.

“I was turned off watercolours as a child,” she said. 

When she started painting again, Leonardi picked up a few tips from local artists and got proper equipment that spurred her to keep creating.

Having lived in Jasper for 40 years, Leonardi has a difficult time naming her favourite places to paint. She does, however, know the mountains are her favourite subject.

“That seems to be a passion of mine, the mountains,” she said.

Jasper is the perfect place for an artist with such a muse. Leonardi has been painting mountains for years, and while it could never get boring, she has decided to push her skills a little further.

“Lately I’ve been challenging myself,” she said. “I want to paint moving water.”

A particular scene she hopes to capture is the elegant Tangle Falls on the Icefields Parkway, a tourist favourite, and the Athabasca Falls. Mist and more winter scenes are something Leonardi would like to try as well.

“I have some ideas in mind that I’d like to try,” she said. “The ideas are unending, I just can’t keep up with them.”

It’s been 10 years since she first picked up painting again, but Leonardi is still learning with every brush stroke. 

“I find that every painting you do, you learn something from it,” she said. “It’s an ongoing learning situation.”

Leonardi starts by photographing her favourite scenes. While she would love to sit out in beautiful areas to paint, time is not always on her side. Instead the photographs capture the moment she wants to paint. Pictures also help because the lighting doesn’t change. 

“When I look at the mountains they inspire me so much I want to paint them right now,” Leonardi said, adding that she likens her paintings to impressionism. “You use the photograph to go by, but try to put the mood in.”

A drive along the Icefields Parkway can be a slow one for Leonardi and her husband. She snaps photo after photo, loading up her memory card with the hope that she will one day get to sit down and paint the scene. She also takes inspiration from hikes she does with a group of friends.

Besides her at-home art gallery, Leonardi’s art is available at the Jasper Artists Guild, and at Becker’s Restaurant on Highway 93. Right now JAG is preparing for the winter season and the walls have been stripped, but Leonardi’s artwork will be back up at the local gallery soon.