Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
—THOMAS MERTON
LeeAnn Brook studio near downtown Nevada City, CA
Artist Statement
The texture of wetland grasses, the atmosphere of rivers and coastal ranges and the heart-opening beauty of silver-toned mountains are the inspiration for my work. My paintings are intuitive, and evolve from my memory of my travels, unfolding on the canvas, and only in dreams before that. Hovering between the figurative and abstract qualities of nature, my mixed media paintings may include collage, acrylic, charcoal, pastels, Chinese ink and whatever else inspires.
About the Artist
LeeAnn Brook grew up in the countryside of Glastonbury, Connecticut. She graduated from Paier College of Art near New Haven, Connecticut in 1973 with a double major in fine art and graphic design. Studying under the influences of trompe l’oeil painting master Ken Davies, her curriculum in art school was traditionally based. Concurrently, her personal work developed into large format contemporary paintings that she exhibited in shows and galleries throughout New York and New England, winning over 20 awards in juried shows in 3 years. At age 23, she was accepted into the prestigious Connecticut Society of Women Painters. She is a five-time award winner in the California State Fair and a four-time winner in the nationally recognized Wild & Scenic Film Festival‘s juried art competition, including Best Of 2D in 2018, and was accepted into the Crocker-Kingsley exhibition in 2023 and 2025. She is in the permanent collection at Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento, CA, and U. C. Davis Medical Center and Sutter Health in Roseville, CA. She was awarded the Dr. Leland and Sally Lewis Visual Artist award from the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce in 2015. She also owned and operated a graphic design firm starting in the San Francisco Bay Area, then to Nevada City for over 40 years. She lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills community of Nevada City, where the natural beauty of the area inspires her work daily.
Former gallery located in downtown Nevada City, CA
New Beginnings
From 2015 to 2020, LeeAnn Brook Fine Art operated one of the first artist-owned galleries and on-site studios in Nevada County, California. Located in the heart of historic downtown Nevada City, the gallery also incorporated Brook’s studio. The gallery became a community hub, featuring art talks, live music, and monthly art shows featuring the work of over 30 local and regional artists.
After painting professionally for over 25 years and running a gallery for nearly 5 years, Brook closed her gallery during the world’s tumultuous time in March 2020. She now operates LeeAnn Brook Fine Art from her home studio, meeting with interested collectors on an appointment-only basis.