Blooming Brown Bags – Leah K Tomaino

Saturday, April 4, 2026, 2pm – 4pm
Free and open to the public

My work is grounding to my soul. I am taken aback by the beauty and intangible qualities of natural flora, the various textures, the amazing flowers and fruits and foliage, and most of all, the spectacular rejuvenation after what appears to be a most definite death in the bleakness of a cold dark winter. Our largely urban society has dulled the ability to appreciate our natural surroundings, the ability to see the wonder in a tree, the mysterious magic in a flower and the resultant peace and contentment that can fill one’s heart. I try to show this to the viewer through my work as a surreal reminder of the peaceful, centered energy of the miraculous natural living world which surrounds us.

My artwork is made from simple materials and features a pioneering collage application of acrylic paint, brown paper shopping bags and canvas. I began using this process in 1999 when my township implemented a mandatory recycling program. I thought that I would rather recycle them in my artwork than at curbside. Originally my collages had the plain torn brown bags for their backgrounds, and only the subject was made from the painted bags. However, they have evolved to have their entire surface covered with the painted bag pieces.

I hope that the viewer thinks that they are looking at beautiful and serene paintings at first glance, then discover that they are viewing a collage that involved a painstaking genesis in the studio. Each is the product of many months or years of work. I paint the ordinary bags with color, tear them into myriad pieces, which I then hand apply with matt medium to realize my vision.

Inspired by nature’s beauty, my interest in this medium relates to the cycle of life and nature. The bags start out as trees, are made into paper bags, which I recycle, paint, tear, and collage into the image of the natural world which provided the original inspiration and energy. A harmonic stillness is comprehended.

In addition, the pieces are often autobiographical, and I am both relieved and tormented at placing my story in plain view.

–  Leah K. Tomaino

LEAH K. TOMAINO received her BFA from the Cooper Union, New York and her MA from William Paterson University, New Jersey, both with concentrations in painting. She also studied at The Studio Art School of the Aegean, Samos, Greece. Leah is an Adjunct Professor at The County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ where she teaches Two-Dimensional Design, Three-Dimensional Design and Drawing classes. She also is an art instructor of painting classes for adults at Artworks Studio, Randolph, NJ. Leah has taught workshops at the Children’s Museum, SoHo, New York, NY, and has been a grant recipient from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation, New York, NY. Her award-winning work has been recognized by the National Association of Women Artists, as demonstrated by the NAWA Medal of Honor and Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation Award which was received in 2012 and by the State of New Jersey Senate & General Assembly in 2020 amongst others. Tomaino’s work has been publically lauded for its unique pioneering collage technique and bold content by newspapers, various formal publications, and in-person television interviews. The latest publication, Art Market International Art Magazine, has stated that she is one of the top 20 contemporary artists to watch. Her work has been widely exhibited in galleries, universities and museums throughout the USA, and is in many private and public collections. Leah is a member of the National Association of Women Artists, New York, NY.

To see full CV: www.leahktomaino.com

Instagram: @lktomaino

Facebook: Leah K. Tomaino

Email: lktomaino@gmail.com