Meet 'Eve Leoni Art'
Celebrating the beauty of the world and capturing happy memories in a distinctive, nostalgic watercolour style.
Hello! My name is Eve and I am a watercolour artist specialising in pet portraits and landscape paintings of my hometown, Grimsby and Cleethorpes. Although I have been painting for people since the age of 16, I didnʼt officially start my little business ‘Eve Leoni Artʼ until I had an influx of orders during lockdown. My dad owned a restaurant just before, so Iʼd display watercolour paintings of local area there and they became really popular. I didnʼt think I could create a business from it at the time, it was just my therapy in between a busy life studying in London!
I bit the bullet one day and got in touch with a local makers shop in Cleethorpes, the Original Emporium, and was offered the chance to sell some of my work in there. I brought an array of designs at first, as (at the age of 21) I wasnʼt sure what sort of artwork people would like. It was proven almost instantly that local residents are so proud of our hometown, that my watercolour paintings of the beach and donkeys became bestsellers straight away. I couldnʼt believe Iʼd created artwork that resonated with so many people that they wanted to spend money and display them in their homes or gift to loved ones! So I jumped on it and havenʼt stopped since.
I love nature and wildlife, particularly by the coast, so my style has been largely influenced by the ever-changing colours in the sky and their reflections in the water. Iʼm a huge David Attenborough fan, and I love to consider the reasons behind animal behaviours and incorporate these in silly ways into greetings cards and other illustrated products. Itʼs my biggest passion to make people smile through my work. As a trained musical theatre performer, Iʼm a big storyteller, and so every piece I create tells a story, often inspired by my own walks and experiences.
Although I love to create art with every medium under the sun, I found my favourite to be watercolour paints. As someone with an overactive brain, i have so many thoughts; I donʼt have time to wait for oils to dry, so fast-drying watercolours suit me well. My loose brush strokes and splatters are a reflection of my busy life and bubbling imagination. Having a busy brain can sometimes cause a lot of anxiety, so itʼs always been important for me to use colours that elicit feelings of calmness for myself and others… my goal is to raise more awareness for mental health and create a childrenʼs book to highlight different emotions too. Iʼve already started teaching workshops in local primary schools, and Iʼd absolutely love to continue providing a safe space for younger people to express themselves and unlock their creativity!
I have a huge passion for giving back to local communities, and so I have used my artwork to raise money for charities and organisations such as ‘A Platform to Talkʼ, ‘Little Victories in the Communityʼ and the Ukraine crisis. I also produce all products in the UK using recycled, sustainable or organic materials. It would
be contradictory of me to keep painting our pretty world if I donʼt do my bit to look after it!
Now busy with bespoke commissions, workshop planning, book writing and market prepping, Iʼve decided to start offering bespoke wedding stationery! Iʼm a huge stationery geek so it just felt right to start designing some pretty invites.
After studying media at college, I love the fact that reels and TikToks are so popular now too! Iʼve since nicknamed myself ‘the dancing painterʼ as Iʼm always having a boogie while creating. Check me out @eveleoniart. Maybe Iʼll be lucky and go viral one day…
Lastly, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted for me to win this award, it means more than anyone will ever realise to know Iʼm supported. Being a sole trader can be really tough, but making people smile makes it all worth it. Also, a huge thank you to my mum who works tirelessly to help me behind the scenes and I couldnʼt do it without her.
If you’d like to find out more about Eve Leoni Art please visit www.eveleoniart.com
*This blog post is provided by the business owner featured – the views and opinions expressed on this blog are not our own.
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