Acrylic paintings by 12-year-old local-born American-Chinese Leonie Quinn are adding a splash of colour to the gallery of the Rui Cunha Foundation in Nam Van.
“I’m so surprised, I didn’t expect they would do it,” Leonie told The Macau Post Daily prior to the exhibition opening yesterday when asked how she felt when the gallery decided to display her paintings.
Her mother said that Leonie and her father walked past the gallery one day three months ago and casually asked about exhibition opportunities.
The gallery reviewed her paintings, and gave her a chance, and “Leonie’s Acrylic World” at the gallery marks her first ever exhibition.
Every child begins to draw when they first pick up a pencil, and at the age of three, Leonie began taking drawing lessons at a centre with graphic designers as teachers.
While lessons are usually on sketching and sometimes drawings with watercolour pencils, Leonie began to explore acrylic paint in recent years, and over the past nine months, she has been experimenting with different techniques in her work, which can be seen in the gallery.
“I got interested because you can create many colours with acrylic,” Leonie said, pointing out that this type of paint works especially well with abstracts and impressionism, and her style is inspired by her favourite artists Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.
Outside school, she also learns music and Latin dancing, but finds painting less stressful because there are no tests or exams so there’s no pressure on her to “do better”.
“As long as you’re happy with what you’ve drawn then it’s fine,” her mother added.
For Leonie, the paintings on display were not created based on a theme, rather, based on her favourite things and her mood at the time.
“When I’m happy, I paint, when I’m sad I paint too, and it makes me feel good,” Leonie said, “When I’m happy, I use warm colours like pink, orange, red and yellow, and when I’m sad, I use cold colours like purple and blue.”
Among the paintings at the exhibition, there’s one that isn’t acrylic, which could be a teaser for her next project.
“I want to try pastels for my next exhibition, with pastels, you can make a more detailed painting,” she said.
Her paintings for the “Leonie’s Acrylic World” are on display at the gallery until Friday, and the opening hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Admission is free of charge.
Leonie Quinn poses with her favourite pieces from the exhibition at the Rui Cunha Foundation gallery in Nam Van yesterday. Photos: Monica Leong
