anne leone received her bfa in painting at boston university, and mfa from the university of cincinnati. she was born in los angeles, california, and lives and works in new york and massachusetts. she is a professor emeritus of umass dartmouth. awards include massachusetts cultural council fellowship painting finalist, massachusetts cultural council professional development grant as well as a hershey foundation fellowship at millay colony in austerlitz, ny and a leighton fellowship at the banff center for the arts in alberta, canada. 

anne leone began using the motif of figures in water as a metaphor for life, purity and birth in 1993. her acrylic paintings explore the ephemera of the light, color and movement in the water of dark, natural ponds. the figures’ faces or expressions cannot be read or identified, because they are above the water. we only see what is revealed beneath the surface. the swimmers experience a multitude of sensations: an awareness of their physicality, the release of gravity, the feeling of water on the skin, and the sense of unrestricted movement.