Leon Vanella

About the Artist

I spent my early childhood on a ranch in one of California''s coastal valleys, and gained an appreciation for the natural world at an early age. Landscapes and wildlife are probably what I keep coming back to for that reason alone.

I have since branched out to explore a variety of subjects and approaches, finding an appreciation for architecture and humans, for the very small and the more abstract. At some point I even got over the idea of having a person staring back at me. Now I find myself residing in New England, and am engrossed in exploring my new home in the best way I know how to.

To show the world what it misses in its great hurry, to show people how someone else perceives his surroundings, and to to hone my perception - this is what keeps me interested in photography. It is what motivates me to pick up the camera yet again and venture out in search of something interesting.

I''ve not yet found a niche to occupy, but that isn''t a tragedy...I''m enjoying the process of observing the world and developing my eye. A niche provides a home territory to fall back to, but it also creates limits of a sort. The longer I delay categorizing myself and my work, the longer I can pursue whatever catches my interest at the moment.