In addition to painting the beauty of the American landscape, Leonard enjoys traveling to new places to find inspiration. His journeys take him to locales such as Italy, France, Spain, and Jamaica. He is also intrigued with the wonderful light and variety in the landscape of Washington State, where he is building a new studio. When Wren discovered Impressionism, specifically the work of Monet, he “began to see in a totally new way.” Despite having a young family to support, Leonard decided to pursue a career as an artist. He sought out a teacher who could help him learn to paint light and color, and every week for a year traveled from his home in Tulsa to Oklahoma City to study with Richard and Edith Goetz. He quickly reached a point in his career where he was able to concentrate his efforts on his love of painting. In 1976, about a year after he began painting, Leonard closed his commercial design business, which he had owned and operated since 1964. After just a few years of painting, his inherent ability positioned Leonard as one of the leading American Impressionists.