Hobby turns into business for livestock artist

Painting was a fun way for Leann Martin to unwind after work. Now, it’s a profitable hobby that she gets to share with her family and friends.

As a child, Martin had a creative itch to scratch.

“I was always obsessed with drawing horses out of magazines and agriculture publications,” she said.

She would study the animals and learned how to draw their anatomy, features and personality.

“My mom and dad made sure I had crayons and art supplies all the time,” she said.

She turned to painting and learned as much as she could through studying other artists and trying to emulate what she saw. In high school and college, she was active in art classes, where she learned about color, light and technical skills for making a quality painting. Pursuing a degree in agriculture business, though, she never did much with her art beyond a fun project on occasion.

In 2014, she found herself and her husband in a studio apartment, with not much to do after the work day. The free time opened the door for her creative aspirations to take hold and Martin took the opportunity to start painting again.

“I purchased a new easel and started painting with acrylics,” she said.

Martin, who now lives on a farm in Clifton Hill, Missouri, wanted to capture livestock, cowboys and rural landscapes.

“It was a way of celebrating what I saw every day,” she said.

Her first projects were copies of photos she had taken at a working ranch rodeo in Amarillo, Texas.

“The first thing I remember trying to repaint on a large scale with a stretched canvas was a picture of a pickup man and bronc rider,” she said.

After the painting was completed, Martin shared it on Facebook, and through a network of people, someone from South Dakota recognized the bronc rider as her husband. She reached out to Martin, offering to purchase the painting. Shortly after when another painting from that rodeo was purchased, Martin wondered if her artwork could be something more than a fun hobby.

Over the last 10 years, Martin has produced a number of paintings covering everything from cattle and horses, to rodeo and western scenes, to unique illustrations including a cowboy riding an alligator.

“My style is different than what people associate with cattle or cowboy artwork,” she said.

Inspired by the scenery, animals and people around her, Martin said her children and their interaction on the farm is a key element for her paintings. But she is always looking for new ideas and inspiration that she can turn into a unique piece.

“My work is brighter and more illustrative. It’s unique because it has my perspective,” she said.

Her personal favorite pieces, though, are more subtle and sweet.

“My all-time favorite piece is a butterfly on a piece of turquoise with Indian Paintbrush flowers,” she said.

The piece was also one of her grandmother’s favorites — a symbol of faith and love, Martin said.

Her other cherished painting was one she completed in college art class. She painted lilies and flowers with oil paint using abstract tones and increased saturation to make everything bright and unnatural.

“It’s the most unique piece I’ve done in my life,” she said.

Still, Martin has a wide collection of more “traditional” western and rural art. She’s painted close-ups of cattle, bucking horses, garden landscapes and more.

Most all her paintings start with an idea of something she saw or a photo she’s taken. To get the initial draft together, Martin will pencil sketch a design.

“There may be multiple sketches before I feel the shape is right and the anatomy is correct,” she said.

Once the right design is complete, Martin starts painting with the darkest colors and working her way to the edges. She typically uses water colors, which dry fast but aren’t very forgiving if she makes a mistake, so she has to focus on each piece and take her time to make sure the colors and placement are right, she said.

If it doesn’t turn out the way she wants, she can start over. From beginning to end, Martin estimates she will spend six to nine hours sketching and painting each piece.

Martin’s current portfolio includes paintings she has created from her own ideas, along with several custom orders. She frequently sells her paintings through Instagram and has shipped artwork all over the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Martin also wrote and illustrated a book, “Colorful Cows”, to teach kids about different breeds of cattle.

“It was a pretty big project and finally came together last fall,” she said.

The book features 10 different breeds and is available for purchase on Amazon.

To learn more about Martin’s artwork, check out @leann.b.martin on Instagram.