Courtesy of George Leach
Not many artists double as criminal-defense lawyers, but for local attorney George Leach, the two careers go hand-in-hand.
“As an artist, you’re in tune to different things that other people who walk around aren’t in tune to,” Leach says. “When you’re interacting with people on a daily basis, you’re not necessarily looking at the person the way I would look at a person (as a lawyer) to see their pain and suffering. From my perspective, it helps me make a better painting.”
Although he had enjoyed painting long before becoming a lawyer, it was a bike accident in 1994 that left Leach hospitalized for a week that inspired him to kickstart his painting career.
“I had always wanted to learn how to paint,” Leach says. “When I was recovering that summer, I decided to see if I could start taking painting lessons at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center.”
“He said, ‘You don’t need to come back, just keep painting,’” Leach says. “He said to keep painting and you’ll do well. And that’s what I did. I just kept painting.”
After that, Leach joined the Ohio Plein Air Society, an organization in which Ohioans paint together and attend competitions all over the country. From there, Leach became his own teacher.
“I just kept painting and painting and painting,” he says. “Trying all different techniques, reading different books, watching videos – just teaching myself how to paint.”
Leach then developed an affinity for oil paint using the palate knife after experimenting with mediums like stained glass, acrylics and watercolor.
“My interests are pretty wide in my law practice as well,” Leach says. “But I started to gravitate toward the oil paint, palate knife painting and stayed in that area.”
In terms of subject matter, much of what is currently on display at the Sharon Weiss Gallery in the Short North are his landscapes, something he grew accustomed to painting through the Plein Air Society.
“That was my natural subject to paint,” Leach says. “I do a lot of old barns from Ohio. Whenever I travel for my law practice, I might stop, take a picture and paint it later.”
As Leach progressed, he expanded his subject matter, and he now paints mostly portraits. A group of these are now on view in the Franklin County Courthouse and depict children in various crises like homelessness.
“The purpose was to let the domestic relations and juvenile justice systems enjoy art in their settings,” Leach says. “People are coming to court under these traumatic experiences, so now they have real art on the wall that’s somewhat reflective of daily lives there.”
As far as continuing to pursue simultaneous careers as a lawyer and painter, Leach is sure the two will always be part of his life.
“One day it will be harder to do it all, and it will be harder to paint well, but I think they’ll gracefully age along with me.”
You can find Leach’s artwork at the Sharon Weiss Gallery as well as in Franklin, Fairfield and Hocking county courthouses.
Kendall Lindstrom is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
