Army veteran Leni D. Anderson taught himself to paint after leaving the military and has since exhibited work at the Smithsonian, Kennedy Center, and galleries across the globe.
Anderson's work is currently on display at the Veterans Art Exhibition at the Rife Gallery in downtown Columbus, alongside 22 other veteran artists.
Anderson said he knew from childhood that he would join the Army. He collected military advertisements from magazines and made scrapbooks. But when his battalion commander asked what he planned to do after leaving the service, Anderson surprised himself with his answer.
"I said I was going to become an artist, which was the first thing that popped in my head," Anderson said. "He said, 'Why an artist?' And I said, 'Because I'm tired of people telling me what to do.'"
Anderson's only formal art training was a required class in junior high. He started as a poet and performance artist, touring Ohio and eventually performing nationally. But life on the road grew tiresome, so he taught himself to paint.
With the military, you learn not to give up. Even when things become incredibly difficult, you have to find within yourself the way to muster through.Leni D. Anderson
Friends who owned a small coffee shop let him hang his early paintings on their walls. When someone bought one for $20, Anderson found the encouragement he needed to continue.
"It's very cathartic because it allows me to take a lot of negative energy, negative memories, and do something constructive and positive," Anderson said. "My paintings are not really happy because of the theme of my work, but still, it's positive because I'm getting that negative energy out of me."
Anderson credits his military training for his artistic success.
"With the military, you learn not to give up," he said. "Even when things become incredibly difficult, you have to find within yourself the way to muster through. So the military taught me how to persevere and accomplish what I want to accomplish."
That perseverance has paid off. Anderson's work has been spotlighted at the Kennedy Center, exhibited at the Smithsonian, and shown internationally in Edinburgh, Berlin, and Dresden. He has received numerous fellowships, grants, and awards.
"I've been fulfilling my commitment to my battalion commander that I was going to be an artist," Anderson said.
Veterans' Voices is presented by Wright-Patt Credit Union. Additional support comes from the Dayton Ombudsman Veterans' Transition Team and Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission. Veterans' Voices is produced here at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
