Andris Leimanis
(1938 - -)
Andris Leimanis was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1938. After many experiences, his family settled in Canada in 1965. At a young age, he showed a talent for art which led him to work for design firms in Toronto and Montreal as an illustrator and creative director. In 1974, he obtained a bachelor's degree with distinction from Loyola College (Concordia University), in Montreal, while studying with various professors at the R.C.A. College. In 1976, Andri Leimanis graduated from Syracuse University in New York with an MFA. Finally, he decides to paint full time and is represented by several galleries in Montreal.
He has enjoyed success with his poetic representations of Montreal. He exhibits to sold-out audiences both at the Galerie Bernard Desroches in Montreal and at the Kar and Kaspar galleries in Toronto. After visiting several world famous gardens in England and France, he created garden scenes for exhibitions in Boca Raton, Florida and Carmel, California. While developing these paintings, he continued to collaborate with other galleries in Quebec, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton Canada. Leimanis has had more than a dozen personal exhibitions and participated in as many group exhibitions.