Rocking and Rolling, Shiva Paintstiks on Paper
46″ x 52″
When painter Greig Leach won his Fellowship in 1986, it gave him a great deal of credibility in the art world. The honor landed him representation with a gallery in New York City’s Greenwich Village, led to multiple exhibitions throughout Virginia, and helped place his work in a number of private and corporations.
“It was a godsend at the start of my professional career,” admits Leach.
But sustaining a career as an artist can be challenging. And over the years, Leach has had to work in any number of roles, including scenic artist, art director for rock ‘n’ roll videos, event designer, and even caterer, to support his art.
In recent years, Leach began taking his art in a new direction, combining painting with another of his passions, cycling. Quickly, his paintings began to pop up around the world in connection with ProTour Professional Cycling events and, when Richmond was selected the location for UCI Road World Championships, Leach was also named the Official Artist of these esteemed bike races.
He’s published a book of artwork and writings about the Tour de France: Book de Tour: Art of the 101st Tour de France and will follow his first book with a second one about the Road World Championships this fall. The artist and cyclist is also working with the VMFA Shop to create cycling art to grace products sold during the race.
Says Leach, “The seal of the established art world (his VMFA Fellowship) solidified my standing as an up-and-coming artist.”