Leon Roulette (Born 1959) was born in Southern California. Early in his life, he found himself especially interested in nature and he read all he could about naturalist who captured his imagination like John Muir. In his early youth he came across a small box that contained a few of his father’s paintings and his painting supplies. These had been stored away after his father passed on. Though his father died when he was too young to remember, he felt a special attachment to this humble box of paints that he knew his father once used. This was a life changing event for him: Roulette decided he wanted to become a painter too. At 12 he enrolled in his first painting class and discovered his hidden natural artistic talent which soon evolved into a lifelong passion for art.
After his graduation from high school, he joined Orange Coast College and later transferred to California State University to study painting, sculpture, and fine art history. As he gained more knowledge about the historical heritage of all art genres and painting, his skill as a competent artist and appreciation for fine art flourished. Roulette art was much inspired by the Dutch of the 17th century, the Impressionist movement of the 19th century and artists of the 20th century. After completing his study of the academic side of art, Roulette was ready to start his career as an artist. Early on he held a variety of art-related jobs while he continued to paint such as restoration work, picture framing, and art instruction to individual students. He keeps his work fresh and spontaneous, and is looking forward to more years of painting the beautiful places that inspire him.
