Anna Marie Leavy : Water Colour Artist

Anna Marie Leavy was born in Pettigo, Co. Donegal and attended the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. She lived and taught art in Dumfries, Scotland and Downpatrick, Co. Down for many years before settling down in Mullingar in 1971.

Since coming to Mullingar, Anna Marie's contribution to the phenomenal development of interest in the visual arts cannot be underestimated. She actively promoted watercolour as a medium by teaching in the VEC Adult Education Programme for many years. She was founding member of Art Enterprises, the group that initiated weekend painting courses in the midlands. Highly experienced Irish and foreign artists, including Anna Marie herself, led these extremely popular courses at Belvedere House on the shores of Lough Ennell.

She herself says her love of nature and watercolour paintings stems from the seed set in her childhood years - through her mother's enthusiasm and constant encouragement of her scetching and painting.

Anna Marie's reputation as a transparent watercolourist of note has grown steadfastly over the years. She has a record of successful annual exhibitions with the Royal Hibernian Academy and the Watercolour Association of Ireland as well as Combridges Fine Art Gallery, Suffolk Street; the Distinguished Artists Gallery, Molesworth Street and Bank of Ireland, College Green, Dublin. Her solo exhibitions in Kenny's of Galway and Sligo Art Gallery are also noteworthy.

Internationally, Anna Marie has worked with artists in England, Canada and Japan. She has taken part in exhibitions in Conneticut and Washington, USA and the Municipal Art Museum, Tokyo, as part of the UNESCO International Friendship exhibition. Her solo exhibitions include the Municipal Gallery in the Perfectual Cultural Centre, Fukui and the Saiwai Gallery, Kawasaki, both in Japan.

Her paintings are in public and private collections all over the world. At present, Anna Marie is concentrating her energies on painting full-time, working mostly to commission.