His name is Leonard, and he lives in Italy J (I am not kidding!), although he takes lots of pride in being born and raised in Albania. His native city, Berat, a medieval museum city protected by UNESCO for its art and architectural values, is still a very strong inspiration for him as a painter. Leonard graduated in Painting and Stage Designing at the Accademia Ligustica di Belli Arti,Genoa, Italy. He is a participant in many art exhibitions in Italy, France, UAE, Lithuania, Austria and others. In spring 2009, Leonard opened his newest exhibition “If I Stay Too Long I’ll Stay Forever” at the Arte Studio Gallery in Genoa, Italy. His professional ambition is to continue to study contemporary art techniques in the USA, and try his hand in videoart. You can check out his art at http://sherifileonard.artists.de/ For a strong, live impression, try visiting the Heartland Art Gallery downtown Urbana. Three of his paintings have already joined the art collection of this gallery!