you for a while

“Google”ing Tori Amos is a favorite past time of mine. The other day as I surfed, I came across Herb Leonhard’s online portfolio and was struck by his awe-inspiring ability to capture Tori Amos songs with his paintbrush. So, for this, the fourth of YouForAWhile.com’s Tori Amos website review series, I’ll discuss HerbLeonhard.com, a marvelous Tori Amos art site.

Webmaster: Why, the wonderful Mr. Leonhard, I presume.

URL Inspiration: As any artist out to make a name for him or herself will do, Herb’s online portfolio is self-titled.

Summary: A beautiful display of Tori Amos oil paintings inspired by various Tori Amos songs.

Highlights: Herb’s “Spark” is genius–a simple portrait of Tori in profile set in a sort of ethereal, extraterrestrial scene with a meaningful glow in her belly. I also quite enjoy his take on Winter–a disembodied, grown-up Tori looks down on a wintry scene…a young red-headed girl taking her father’s hand, of course. To borrow a line from Merman (which is also depicted on Mr. Leonhard’s site), these paintings are “simply wonderful.”

Other Pages/Content: Tori is not Herb Leonhard’s only muse…his gallery also boasts tons of paintings of other pop culture icons, presumably near and dear to his heart. In his gallery, you’ll also find creative, poetic depictions of Alanis Morrisette, Enya, Audrey Hepburn, Star Trek characters, and Kate Bush.

Layout/Design: Simple, so as to keep your attention where it belongs: on his immense talent.

Updates: You can’t rush genius! His paintings are not dated, but the size of his collection is quite respectable, suggesting that he is a frequent updater.

Communication: I emailed Herb Leonhard asking if I could use his work in my posts from time to time. He responded within 24 hours and was very polite and professional.

Click here to visit this amazing site.

Filed under: Tori Amos Website Reviews on October 22nd, 2007