About Leo
Contemporary Art Rooted in Expression, Process, and Purpose
Leo Dias is a multidisciplinary visual artist who lives and creates in Mississauga. Working in an impressionist and expressionist style, Leo’s practice spans abstract, landscape, wildlife, and portraiture, with a unifying focus on his love for nature and the importance of conservation. Through layered acrylics, intuitive mark-making, and mixed materials, his work encourages reflection on environmental stewardship, emotional connection, and the legacy we leave for future generations.
Beyond his studio practice, Leo is deeply involved in the local arts community. He is the founder of the Sauga Plein Air Group, which meets weekly in parks and heritage locations along the Credit River to celebrate Mississauga’s natural and historical landscapes. These gatherings have led to multiple group exhibitions featuring plein air works created throughout 2024 and 2025. In collaboration with Visual Arts Mississauga (VAM), Leo also helped launch a two-day Plein Air Competition and exhibition at Riverwood Park in June 2025, with plans to expand the event into an annual, multi-day celebration of Mississauga’s green spaces for artists and the public alike.
Exhibitions & Experience
Studies – Education
1990 – 1996: Mississauga sculpture Studio under the mentorship of Augustin Filopovic
1990 – 1993: Image Matrix Printmaking Studio under the mentorship of Isabel Massot
1983 – 1985: Illustration & Design – Sheridan College Graduate
1980 – 1982: Advertising & Graphics – Humber College Graduate
Group & Solo Exhibitions
2024 -2025: Group Exhibition with Sauga Plein Air Group at Heritage Mississauga, Visual Arts
Mississauga.
2020– 2024: Group Exhibitions with Arts on the Credit, Lakeshore Art Trail, Forms Faces & Spaces,
Joshua Creek Heritage Art Center and Mosaic Festival / Mississauga Parks outdoor show.
2019: Solo Exhibition at Rainbow Studio Gallery, The Men’s Room, Mississauga Central Library and
Group Exhibitions at Kaleidoscope art Studio, Pixeblue Studio, Forms Faces & Places and Lakeshore Art
Trail.
2017– 2018: Annual Group Exhibitions at Promenade Gallery, Arts on the Credit, Pixeblue Studio, Pazan
Gallery and VAM Juried Show.
2016: Curated Group Exhibitions, Guest Speaker Series and Spoken Word events under CCAI / Mosaic
Festival at Promenade Gallery and Celebration Square.
2015: Solo Exhibition at Port Credit Business Association and Live Restaurant in the Living Arts Center.
2014: Artists in Residency & Curating several Group Exhibitions at Promenade Gallery.
2012 – 2013: Solo Exhibitions at Second Cup on King St. Toronto, ALFEW Group Exhibition at Heritage
Mississauga.
2010: Solo Exhibition at Almada Negreiros Gallery at the Portuguese Consulate in Toronto.
2008: Solo Exhibition at Second Cup on King St. Toronto.
2005: 2007: Month long Solo Exhibitions at Bull Dog Café, Toronto
2004: Solo Exhibition at Gallery 888, Toronto
1990 – 1994: Juried Group Exhibition at PAN, Brampton Central Park Library and Art Gallery of
Mississauga.
Artist Accolades
*Founder and Organizing Lead of Sauga Plein Air Group (SPAG).
*Advisory / Program Development Subcommittee for Art Gallery of Mississauga and Creative Hub
1352.
*Executive Member and Visual Arts Program Coordinator for Canadian Community Arts Initiative /
Mosaic Festival