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Art, Art, Leroy Brown

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A Love of Learning

A Love of Learning

Marine veteran turns love of painting into a business

BY CAMERON DELEAN

Alocal Marine Corps veteran and lifelong artist has made a name for himself selling his paintings.

Leroy Brown, who lives in Stafford County, has combined his artistic skills and entrepreneurial spirit to sell his original paintings, prints and commissioned custom pieces. However, Brown’s passion for art sparked long before he started his business.

“Anything that involved art, I was doing it,” he said. “That fire started in me when I was a young kid.”

After graduating from high school in 2000 in his hometown of Natchez, Miss., Brown joined the Marine Corps. Five years into his career, he took an art history class and a studio painting class while stationed in New Orleans to maintain his passion for art.

“I always wanted to be an artist and considered myself an artist, but I didn’t think it was possible to do it full-time,” Brown said. “I never let go of that dream of being an artist whenever I was deployed or wherever I was stationed.”

Brown’s dedication to creating art continued through his time in the Marine

Corps, even as he traveled around the country and overseas. He sold his first piece in 2008, the same year he began to take art seriously. After retiring as a gunnery sergeant at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Brown pursued painting full time. His business, Leroy Brown Art, was established in 2021. He creates original and commissioned pieces that he sells on his online storefront and social media, as well as at local events.

Cynthia Hall of Woodbridge saw Brown’s work at a vendor booth in the Veterans Growing America pop-up shop at Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge in November. She commissioned him to paint a portrait of her husband stationed in Afghanistan as a surprise for him.

“He is a former Marine, and my husband is a former Marine, so it meant a lot to have him do it,” Hall said.

Brown connects with his customers and travels to different vendor events around the country, transporting, setting up, packaging and selling his paintings himself.

Now, Brown is creating original pieces of artwork and running a business while working toward a degree in entrepreneurship at American Military University to help expand and develop his business. After serving with the Marine Corps, Brown believes he has the skills and work ethic he needs to pursue his aspirations.

Leroy Brown’s works include realistic paintings of the Beatles (far left), Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a military officer, as well as the piece entitled “Marketplace” (above).

“When I went through boot camp I was away from home for the first time and I was told to do everything faster, smarter and harder… I would describe Marine Corps boot camp as the hardest challenge I’ve ever experienced, so any time I’m creating artwork I utilize that, mentally pushing myself like my drill instructor was pushing me,” Brown said. “If I’ve already accomplished the hardest thing I’ve ever done in life, I can do anything else I put my mind to.”

Cameron Delean is a reporter for InsideNoVa. She can be reached at cdelean@insidenova.com.

More Art

See more examples of Leroy Brown’s work at LeroyBrownArt.com

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