Fred Leach
Watercolor Artist
A flickering ray of sunshine pierced the dirty window in the dimly lit tavern, illuminating Fred's mug of beer, and dancing around the bubbles and froth. Fred had a trance like stare fixed on the glass. Perhaps, he was studying the effect of the light on the changing color value of the beer, but it's more likely that he was planning on what to paint next.
Fred was a watercolor artist, a signature member of the American Watercolor Society (AWS), and his name appeared in Who's Who in American Art. His paintings hung in the Butler Institute of American Art, several other museums, and in the Secluded Inn, a few blocks away, where he paid his bar tab with paintings when he ran out of cash. When he wasn't out on the town, he was at home painting or teaching watercolor classes sponsored by various civic organizations.
And yet, here he was in the lonely bar in the early morning of a new day sitting next to Jack, who knew that this was the end of Fred's current binge. He knew from the many binge inspired excursions they'd taken, the froth on the top of the mug, and his own empty glass.
Fred turned to Jack and asked, “Want another beer?” pushing his full mug towards him. “I have an art show in two weeks in Virginia Beach and have to go home and paint.”
Jack had been with him for a couple of weeks and knew that his studio and house had empty walls that served as storage areas for his framed paintings before a show.
“How does he do it?” Jack wondered. “How does someone get over a debilitating two week hangover in an hour and go full speed into painting?” There was no doubt in Jack's mind that Fred could produce many paintings a day because he'd seen him paint in his classes.
The painting techniques he demonstrated in class were like magic. He started by sectioning off a large Bristol board with masking tape to make six smaller paintings. His palette looked like mud before he started painting, but within minutes, the sky, sea, and beach appeared on the paper. He blotted out clouds on the whiteboard, sprinkled salt on the beach area, and made a few brush strokes to finish the background. He continued to paint quickly and effortlessly, adding a shack and some sea gulls, and signed it: “LEACH AWS.”
A woman from the back of the room said, “But I'm afraid to start.”
“You're afraid of a piece of paper?” Fred asked.
The woman laughed. “No, I'm afraid that it won't look like yours.”
“Of course it won't,” he replied. “Nor should it. We all see things differently. And it may look terrible. The first twenty paintings may look terrible, but you have to keep painting. You learn from experience, from practice, and from mistakes. I didn't learn to paint overnight. I studied art, then got a job painting at the American Greetings Company, and later, because of my experience and boredom at the job, mostly boredom, I went out on my own.”
Jack didn't see Fred again for a month. When he reappeared at the Secluded Inn one morning, he asked him how it went at the show.
“I sold out and made ten thousands dollars,” he said.
Fred had an unwavering commitment to his painting no matter how he felt, and he was good at making money. He knew what people would buy. When he went to art shows in Virginia Beach, he painted seascapes. When he went to art shows in West Virginia, he painted cliff scenes. Jack watched in amazement as he brought a cliff scene to life. Fred mixed several colors together on his palette, slathered the mixture on the paper and covered it with Saran Wrap. When he lifted the film from the paper, a cliff appeared. With many quick brush strokes, he had a scene that looked like it took hours to complete.
A decade after Jack had moved out of town, he was walking to his car in downtown Sarasota. A young man nearby with a framed painting under his arm stopped him and showed him a watercolor painting. He asked him if he knew anything about the artist. It was a painting of the White House signed, “LEACH, AWS,” so he talked about Fred, briefly. The man was going on a long trip overseas and asked if he would hold the painting for him while he was gone. He said he won it in a contest. “Yes, with great pleasure,” Jack said. A month later, the man called and asked if he would return the painting. “Yes, with great pleasure,” he said; “so you can enjoy a part of the world as Fred saw it,”
Dedicated to Frederick Leach - 1924–2006
Education: Butler Institute of American Art, Cleveland Institute of Art.
Awards: 1964 elected a lifetime member of American Watercolor Society, 1980 awarded the Dolphin Fellowship, 1985 Watercolor Honor Society Watercolor USA.
Holdings: Butler Institute of American Art, Springfield Art Museum, Canton Art Museum, Lumber Specialty Company, Frye Museum of Art, Zanesville Art Institute, Lorain Community Hospital.
Honors: Cleveland Museum of Art, Watercolor USA, American Watercolor Society, Virginia Beach Boardwalk Show, Canton Art Show, Hudson Rotary Show, Lakewood Arts Festival, Alliance Arts Festival, Ohio Watercolor Society, High Winds Medallion, AWS 1982-83 Best of Show, Boston Mills Arts Festival, 1985 Grumbacher Gold Medal, Ohio Watercolor Society.
Juried: Watercolor USA, Regional Shows in Youngstown, South Western Regional Society, Wichita Centennial Watercolor Exhibit.
https://wolfsgallery.com/artists/fred-leach-1