Leo E. Osborne

Born in 1947, Leo recalls his preschool years living in Marshfield, Massachusetts at his grandmother's farm, where chickens, ducks and a goat named Mary, after his grandmother, roamed at large. He grew up spending time outdoors and surrounded by animals. During high school, Osborne won a scholarship from the Art Instruction School of Minneapolis, and also attended the New England School of Art in Boston.

Moving to the Maine Coast in 1970, he "dropped out" of school in order to live in the woods; he began painting signs to make money. In 1974, he started carving signs when his daughter Rachel was born, which led to his bird carving period. In 1990, he moved to the Pacific Northwest and furthered his interest in bronze sculpture. Osborne continues to investigate many mediums and potentialities in art, as with his paintings, which he refers to as "acrylusion," the fusion of acrylic paint over gold leaf gilded panels; he usually carves burl wood found on maple trees, preferring its density and lack of grain. His philosophy is that art transcends all borders and boundaries. He says: "To let it flow through me… the mind and spirit goes and the tool walks alone, I become the simple vehicle within which the creative source conveys its sacred, inner being. To be in the constant flow and rhythm of the dance is my true ambition and desire."