Leonard Green was born in the north west of England in a ‘cotton’ and ‘mining’ town - Leigh near Wigan. He studied Foundation Art at Wigan School of Art then studied BA (Hons) Fine Art (Painting) at Manchester University followed by MA studies in Fine Art (Painting) also at Manchester. Amongst the exhibitions he was involved in during this time in the late 70s and 80s was a one-man show at the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh, Greater Manchester; a prestigious, contemporary art gallery. He has exhibited widely across the UK including the Royal Academy

In the course of his early development as an artist he became a semi professional DJ at a time when Northern Soul music was the dominant form of music in the night clubs of the Greater Manchester area - notably Leigh and Wigan. This music informed my paintings and in recent years, in particular, has provided the titles for my paintings.

He left the Northwest of England in 1984 and joined the Art Department at Millfield School in Somerset – a prestigious private school. A curious decision to make, leaving behind Art lecturing and being a practising artist - for a teaching post. An even more curious twist to this tale is that whilst living up North he had qualified as a National Swimming Coach and was coaching at one of Britain's top swimming clubs – Wigan Wasps; subsequently he joined Millfield’s very successful swimming team.