Leah Romano McMeen is an artist and graphic designer based in La Porte, Indiana. Working in oil, acrylic, pastel, and watercolor, she blends realism and impressionism to capture the spirit of place and the quiet narratives woven through landscape, wildlife, and community.
Her work is deeply influenced by the natural environment of Northwest Indiana, particularly the Indiana Dunes, where shifting light, seasonal change, and ecological character shape her visual language and atmospheric approach to paint.
Leah co-founded the creative agency Openhill and brings more than twenty-five years of design experience to her studio practice. Leah's background in visual communication informs a strong sense of composition, structure, and storytelling across both client work and fine art. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, with a minor in Printmaking, from the University of Toledo Center for the Visual Arts.
She has lived in Northwest Indiana since 2013. Immersion in the Dunes landscape continues to inform her attention to native ecosystems, regional architecture, and the layered histories embedded in the land. Her work has appeared in juried exhibitions across the United States.
Recent Exhibitions and Awards:
- Awarded Signature Status with MidAmerica Pastel Society, March 2026
- Pastel Society of Colorado’s 22nd Annual Mile High International Pastel Exhibition, March 20–April 25, 2026 “Keeping Watch”
- 2026 Arizona Pastel Artists Association’s 10th Open International Exhibition at the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona, "Prickly Pear At Dusk"
- Chicago Pastel Painter’s Tenth Biennial National Juried Exhibition, Pastels Chicago 2025, October 31 - December 6, 2025, "Last Light of the Coaling Tower"
- Three pieces works in Rising Phoenix "Glass" exhibition Sept. 6 – Oct. 26:
- Southeastern Pastel Society, Luminosity, 2025 Juried Virtual International Open Exhibition, “Shared Light”
- Two pieces accepted to juried MidAmerica Pastel Society (MAPS) 2025 National Exhibition - Adventures in Pastel October 2 - November 1, 2025:
- Good Ole Summertime Exhibit, Hoosier Art Salon, New Harmony IN
- The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod's “For Pastels Only” (FPO) exhibit, "A Walk In The Old Pasture"
- Pastel Society of South Carolina's 2025 Luminosity and Light juried exhibit online show July 18, 2025, "The Luminous Anhinga"
- Chesterton Womens Club 73rd Community Exhibit, award, "Blue Maize" watercolor and soft pastel, June-July 2025
- Merit Award, Art Barn School of Art 35th Juried Exhibition, Valparaiso, IN April-May 2025, "Golden Hour Crane"
- Uart UNEEDA Award, Great Lakes Pastel Society Small Works Juried Exhibition, June-July 2025, "Kingfisher Over Water", soft pastel
- Dune Birds In Art juried exhibit, Indiana Dunes Birding Festival May-June 2025, "Mourning In The Fog" oil pastel
