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A watercolor portrait of Leilanie, a beloved student of my Alameda class
Thomas Leighton
Thomas Leighton was a prominent west coast portrait artist and teacher. He taught portrait in oils and
pastels in his San Francisco studio home. Whenever I had the money to study with Mr. Leighton, I would
sign up for a series of classes, eight to twelve weeks at a time. I sometimes attended twice a week.
Mr. Leighton described his Portrait classes as “classes in the European style of portrait.” He was taught
the Venetian Style of portraiture by his teacher who was a student of John Singer Sergeant.
In 1962, I returned from an Army tour of duty in Germany and was fortunate to land a job at one of San
Francisco’s best graphic arts studios. At this art studio, I learned how to improve my illustrative skills.
What I learned in Mr. Leighton’s classes helped me land that job.
Ten years later, I began to teach adults in the Alameda Adult Education School. I taught portraiture and
landscape. I began teaching portrait in watercolor, adopting portrait methods taught to me by Mr.
Thomas Leighton.
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