Leon Okun | Faculty Chair.

Leon Okun was born in 1980, in a small town in Siberia, Russia. In 1993 Leon’s family immigrated to San Diego. His interest in figurative art developed while taking art classes at Mesa Community College. This led him to a profound interest in figurative drawing and propelled Leon to pursue a program that would satisfy his passion for fine art.

In 2003 Leon returned to Russia to explore Russian art schools, he then decided to apply to the Repin Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He studied here for six years and received both a Bachelor’s Degree of Fine Art and a Masters Degrees in Fine Arts.

In 2011 Leon returned to San Diego and immersed himself in teaching. He is also a member of the California Art Club, the American Portrait Society, the American Impressionist society, and the Plein Air Painters of San Diego.

His style of painting is based on the traditional European classical art, and a color palette that so many Russian painters are famous for.