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ALOHA ;   My full name is ; 

LeLand Kirk Leonard

   I was born on September 6, 1951 in a private hospital (Swingle Hospital) "Rt.1 Johnson City,Tennessee" in the 'Cherokee National Park'. My family moved up to Allentown, Pa. to be near my Grand Parents. Mr. and Misses Clarence Mortimer ( We called them, Nanny and Daddy Clarence).

   Shortly afterward, we moved to the village of 'Finland', in Bucks County,Pennsylvania when I was around four years old. Finland is a village on the northern end of the 'Philadelphia Boy scout Camps'. I was told they were the largest Boyscout Camps in the U.S.A. at that time.

   So I played in the woods and on the "Unami (Swamp) Creek" with my 5 brothers,4 sisters and 3 friends whose mother (Roseanna Hein) owned "The Finland Inn", Gus, Michelle and Michael Hein. Population about 100 people in village while growing up there.

   One day while walking with 'my Spirit friend' (ghost); watching some men swirling plaster on a barn wall with trowels. {Later I learned they were 'stuccoing' the barn.}

   " I said to my friend,ghost),this is so neat! Do you see how they could move that plaster around and create all kinds of things like ,mountains, birds, trees and ocean waves or they could just write with it on the walls"!

   " My Friend. just kept agreeing with me, saying "I've never seen that done before".. At that moment, an unbelievable feeling came over me. Like some kind of, 'Out of Body Experience' and I have no words to describe this feeling that came over me.  My Spirit Friend, was speaking to me  in a totally new language and I was understanding every word that was being told to me.

   I soon forgot about that experience until many years later, when I started learning to finish drywall with my brother in-law, Rick Reppert <http://RLReppert.com >.

   We were finishing ceilings and walls of a new house in the Pocono Mountains when I recalled my childhood memories of those men Stuccoing that barn and that My Spirit Friend  was agreeing with me and saying to me, "I hasn't seen that done yet". I realized I had never seen or heard of  painting with plaster before myself either.

   So I started playing around  with joint compound on scrap pieces of drywall. First using drywall knives , I soon  thought if I use paint brushes I could  smooth out edges to become  rounded.

   Those visions I had experienced as a child, were going to become  reality if I kept working at it.

  

   You cannot imagine  " my thoughts on this  art my Spirit Friend was telling me about, and even if I think I was just dreaming, "It stands as a 'New Art Touchstone' alone"! I kept practicing with it, all the time learning to  create this New Art Form".    

   My first creation became a reality in Panama City, Florida.  An open rose viewed , looking down on it from above.  24" X 20"        The pedals coming off the canvas approximately one inch and curling back , for the opening effect.  I gave it to the woman whose house I was painting in "Bay  Point Harbor. Fla.  because  all the material I was using was hers and she love it very much.

   After moving to Norfolk, Virginia.  I started an interior construction company named "LeLand Interiors".  I was contracted to up-grade  a settlement of town-houses, originally built to house the " Portsmith Ship Building Company" workers during "World War One. ". These old, cracked walls gave me an opportunity , to use them as canvases to create many different designs. Ocean and beach scenes , using quick drying plasters 1

    The owner loved  what I was creating, it quickly moved to include  exterior wall, too. The art form was extremely  well received at   "The Virginia Home and Garden Show"  in Virginia Beach, Va.  The art form prospered and workers were required to sign , non-discloser agreements on "'Texture-sizing[".  The art forms name at the time. 

    My path changed for personal reasons and I moved back to Finland, Pa. and stayed  at our friends hotel, "The Finland Inn".  One night Roseanne, The Lodges owner was asking me about this new thing I called "'Texturesizing'".  She became very interested, and asked me to do a 'Texturezsized-Painting on the  Finland Inns wall that faces the Unami Creek.

    So I started a 'Texeuresized-Painting',  I I called ;"The Three Trees" , a local swimming hole on 'Swamp creek' in Finland. As I was working on the wall, I noticed a woman kept coming by every day and watched me working on the wall.  One day she finally came up to me and told me she was an Art Director at the " Allentown Art Museum " and said , " She never seen or heard of any  person painting with plaster before and how exciting it was to watch me do it." She told me that if I had any paintings , she would give me a "One man show" in the Allentown Art Museum" if I wanted.  Than she said to me,"But you would have to come up with a name for your style of 'New Art'.  I quote her saying; "It is A New Art Touchstone and you need to give your art a name" - end quote;.

   A couple days  later, another woman came by and was watching me work and said to  me ," "this is beautiful and so sculptuesque"", SO I went into the 'Finland End' and got a dictionary and looked up the word 'sculpturesque'. The word 'sculpturesque in 'Websters Dictionary.' Webster’s Dictionary states: Sculpturesque; Possessing the quality of sculpture; in the manner of sculpture; statuesque; majestic; defined ;- And ""Sculpturesque- Painting""  became the new art forms name. Feeling I was just learning  to do this, I declined the "Art Directors offer".  After the Lodge , I was asked to create a' Sculpturesque-Painting'  for  "A Mentally Retarded Day Care Center" in Allentown, Pa..  So I created a painting right there as the patients were watching me paint with plaster.  ""The interaction I deeply enjoyed". After a short time the male patients were getting angry because of all the attention the female patients were giving me and I was asked to leave as soon as I was done. And that I did. I left seeing I had an art form that people could get emotional about.

      California Dreaming ; I hitchhiked across the U.S.A..  Stopping over in Lordsburg, New Mexico and showing a minister photographs of my art.  He asked me if I would create my art on the walls of their new room for mothers breast feeding their children and could watch and listen to the sermon, at the same time. 

    So I created cartoon animal caricatures running up the "Mountain  to see the Lamb of God" .  It too was well received by the Church Members.

    Moving on to California.  Living in a friends  Art Studio over looking the Pacific Ocean , along  "The Ocean Front Walk in Venice, Ca." I first Created a 'Sculpturesque-Painting' for my "Mentors" family. He died in a plane crash , returning to Doylestown. Pa. from Columbus, Ohio where  his racing team was about to race, to  watch his son play in a High School foot-ball game on September 30,1988 !  I created a 'Sculpturesque-Painting' of a"hand coming out of a cloud holding a Porsche, with the inscription; Alvah Holbert, 'The  Boss'  September 30,1988" .

    Than I did a ' 'Sculpturesque-Painting' of my wife at that time. Naked , sitting in a lotus position breast feeding our daughter "CHERISH"" > I showed it to a blind person in Venice and he could even feel 'Cherishes' face. So honored! And so it was presented to the "President of Sera Lanka! for his work with their poor. His father was a farmer, so he understood their needs. And I was told he was assonated a year later.

    Than I created a 'Sculpturesque-Painting' of the "Statue   of Santa Monica" and that was given to  the 'City Attorney' , Bob Meyers  for his work with Santa Monica's homeless. Bob Myers was fired for the same reason I presented him with the Sculpturesque-Painting of "Santa Monica " .  I also created a painting for St. Joesph's Homeless  Diner called ' The Bread and Roses Cafe " in Venice were professional people of  all walks of life;  Actors, actresses, Doctors, Nurses, and many of other professions .  Who served homeless persons a great homrcooked meal every morning !

    One named "Cannibis Crucifixion " , presented to Jack Herer for his writing the book called " The Emperor Wears No Clothes " !  'The Authoritative Historical Record of the Cannabis Plant, Marijuana Prohibition, &  How Hemp Can Still Save the World' ! Author 'Udo Erasmus'  writes in his book;   " FATS that HEAL  FATS that KILL " on page  287, 'Hemp: Nature's  Most Perfectly Balanced Oil'!      

     Hawaii is the first state to legalize Hemp for medicine without going through the voters ! Just made it law !

     Exterior walls include 'Seven Presidents  Heads on a wall  at 19, 19th Avenue, Muscle Beach, Venice, Ca. ! Who the neighbors named  " Mount TokeMore ".  A couple of walls at 15 Rose Ave. Venice Ca. ! And of course "The Three Trees" on The Finland Lodge!   

      My love for running brought me to Honolulu, Hawaii in June, 1994.  Here I created a painting named " Runner's World" and when my sister and brother in-law came to visit, they took it and presented it to the Rodales of "Rodale Press" in EMaus, Penna. for their health and fitness  magazines "Provention ans Runner's World ". 

     I created three paintings to  show people who are blind to the "Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped" located in Waikiki, Hawaii. If any one reading this wants to know 'how the blind like my painting' you can call the Library at 808-733-6444    

        Madeline Park (blind from birth) commissioned me to create a painting for her. So I created a painting of a 'seagull  flying pass sun over moutains and ocean, And I named it "Madelins May Seagull" !

 Madeline had the secretary at the 'Blind Library' write me a note that reads and I quote :  

    " I can see with my fingers and I can use my imagination to bring sea, bird, sun and moutains into focus in my own version of color.  Tactual objects can help the blind see things some of them have never seen before."   

Honored I am !

   Pernilla Moller of Malmo, Sweden sent me a 'Porcelain Swedish Festival Doll'.  So I created the doll steping out of the frame and named it "Pernilla's Swedish Summer" and presented it to the "Shriners Childrens Hospital" here in Honolulu for their medical help for children  free of charge.

"Aloha Ke Akua"                                           love  Is god

   On September 12, 2005 I recieved a phone call from 'Cherishs' mother telling me I was, (with in the hour) "A Grand Father". Wow; Click on--> "Family & Friends Blog" and see and read about my new "Grand Daughter ~Taylor". Click here --> "Explaining Sculpturesque-Painting Blog"

    'A New Art Touchstone' "Blind people can even see, down to the final brush stroke, through their sense of tough". I came to Honolulu, Hi. to promote my "New Art Touchstone - 'Sculpuresque-Painting". I chose to show this ' New Art Touchstone' by presenting a "'Sculpuresque Painting" in March, 1998 to the ' BLIND and PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED LIBRARY' in Waikiki, Hi. Funny in 1998 there were no Web-sites concerning 'Paintings for the Blind '. Today there are 4,170,000 and counting. Oh yes, things do go on the Internet, and the Internet can change things 'better for the blind'. Show this sight to many people and you can and  you can  help create for   mankind{

"A New Art TouchStone for

  A New Millennium " 

 MAHALO