One of Downey’s long-time artists and teachers, Elsa Van Leuven, will demonstrate for the Paramount Traditional Artists Guild on September 12th. The public is welcome. The demonstration begins at 2PM at Progress Park Plaza in Paramount, at 15530 Downey Ave.
Born in Oklahoma, moving to California in her mid-teens. Her artistic talents first developed along the musical line, majoring in Music at Los Angeles City College, singing with the Hollywood Bowl Chorus and appearing as soloist with the Los Angeles Opera and Downey Symphony Orchestra. She became intensely interested in oil paintings and began her studies with Nona Taylor plus taking workshops under such well-known artists as Joyce Pike, Don Foster, Gilee Barton, Sandy Bergeron, Tom Anderson and Hal Reed. Her paintings hang throughout the U.S., Canada, and England and more locally have hung in Flavia Gallery, Huntington Beach, Virginia’s Gift Shop at Knott’s Berry Farm, Old Town Gallery, Seal Beach and in Solvang and Palm Springs. Also at Lindsey Gallery, S.R. Brennan, Moreton Gallery, Haggenmaker Gallery, Lu Martin Gallery, Anenberg Gallery in various locations here in California. More recently she has enjoyed working in an impressionistic style of the Romantic period. These works convey a sense of tranquility and beauty of times past.
The Downey Arts Coalition is proud to have presented her work as part of our art shows at the Downey Civic Theater.
I own two Elsa paintings that I purchased in Carmel CA in the early 80s. One is a wonderful doorway with a bougainvillea over it, and the other is a fantasy of sweet peas and a turquoise inkwell. My mother owns a gorgeous purple iris, and a spray of orange roses. Our Van Leuven’s are our favorite are in our homes!
Thank you for sharing! She’s a Downey treasure.