Lorraine Leivas’ paintings sing with color and light, illuminating the beauty and unique character of Sonoma County. Painting outside is a challenge that Leivas finds exciting and allows her to paint quickly with brilliant rich color. The artist spends part of each day observing color, light and shapes in nature. Her vibrant paintings share with the viewer the energy she takes in while working outdoors.

Leivas studied at the Art Center in Los Angeles, California, and also received a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from Sonoma State University. She has been an award winning California Plein-Air Landscape painter for over forty years. She has had several important one woman shows in San Francisco.

“Plein-Air painting for me, is reacting in a spontaneous way the view I see. I feel an excitement and immediacy when working from life that I do not feel when working from photos or sketches. I love painting from life as I feel it captures life itself. I do my best painting when I paint intuitively.”