The Tri Valley Life Podcast
Get to know the community with Margy Lyman
The Tri Valley Life Podcast
Get to know the community with Margy Lyman
Watch All The Episodes Below
Business Spotlight
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Meet Leila Azari, Owner Artist and designer of Leila Art Gallery in Concord, California
Margy: Hi, welcome to A Few Minutes with Margy. I'm Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group, and today I’m here with a special guest, my friend Leila Azari, a talented artist known for her paintings and mosaics. Leila, you have a fascinating background—you’re from Iran and started painting at just seven years old.
Leila: Yes, I started painting early because I felt art was in my soul. It’s a way to express myself and communicate with people.
Margy: That’s amazing. So, you took art classes in school and continued painting. How long were you in Iran before moving to the U.S.?
Leila: I lived in Iran until I was 25. After finishing university, I started working, then married a U.S. citizen and moved here in 2007. I went to college to learn English, then worked at St. Catherine of Siena School in Martinez for two and a half years. But I wanted to create my own path, so in 2010, I started my own business, Leila Art Gallery. Since then, I’ve participated in many exhibitions across the U.S., including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle. I might be heading to Chicago soon for another show.
Margy: That’s fantastic! And we can’t forget Latte—she’s a big part of today’s conversation too.
Leila: Yes! She’s my little sweetheart.
Margy: You were telling me about this painting. Can you explain its meaning?
Leila: Sure. This piece represents the fight for freedom in Iran, especially for women. After Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in 2022, women protested against mandatory hijabs. In my painting, the woman wears a delicate lace, symbolizing choice rather than forced covering. Her hair is a rainbow, representing LGBTQ+ people in Iran, who have no rights and cannot live freely like they can in the U.S.
Margy: That’s powerful. How did you learn to paint portraits?
Leila: When you practice and teach art, you develop techniques for drawing faces and bodies. It’s hard to explain—it just happens. Sometimes, I use my own body as a reference in my paintings.
Margy: She does resemble you! When did you sell your first piece?
Leila: In 2012. It was a small wood painting. A woman walked into my gallery in Walnut Creek, loved it, and asked for the price. I said $50, but she insisted on paying $100. That was my first sale.
Margy: Do you still paint on eggs?
Leila: Yes! Let me show you.
(Leila brings out her painted eggs.)
Margy: Wow! These are beautiful, so detailed.
Leila: Thank you. This is called miniature painting, an ancient art form in Iran, also seen in China and Japan.
Margy: You faced challenges during COVID, right?
Leila: Yes, I had to close my Walnut Creek studio, so I moved my work home. I taught backyard classes with masks and social distancing and even did online lessons. My students love art, and some are very talented.
Margy: Where can people find your work?
Leila: I’m on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and Etsy under Leila Art Gallery.
Margy: I’ll include your details below. You’re so talented, and I’m so glad to know you.
Leila: Thank you.
Margy: I’m Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group. If you’re interested in Leila’s art or commission work, reach out. If you know someone who’d like to be featured on A Few Minutes with Margy, let me know.
Leila: Thank you!
Margy: Thank you!
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Interviews
Meet Leila Azari, Owner Artist and designer of Leila Art Gallery in Concord, California
Margy: Hi, welcome to A Few Minutes with Margy. I'm Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group, and today I’m here with a special guest, my friend Leila Azari, a talented artist known for her paintings and mosaics. Leila, you have a fascinating background—you’re from Iran and started painting at just seven years old.
Leila: Yes, I started painting early because I felt art was in my soul. It’s a way to express myself and communicate with people.
Margy: That’s amazing. So, you took art classes in school and continued painting. How long were you in Iran before moving to the U.S.?
Leila: I lived in Iran until I was 25. After finishing university, I started working, then married a U.S. citizen and moved here in 2007. I went to college to learn English, then worked at St. Catherine of Siena School in Martinez for two and a half years. But I wanted to create my own path, so in 2010, I started my own business, Leila Art Gallery. Since then, I’ve participated in many exhibitions across the U.S., including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle. I might be heading to Chicago soon for another show.
Margy: That’s fantastic! And we can’t forget Latte—she’s a big part of today’s conversation too.
Leila: Yes! She’s my little sweetheart.
Margy: You were telling me about this painting. Can you explain its meaning?
Leila: Sure. This piece represents the fight for freedom in Iran, especially for women. After Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in 2022, women protested against mandatory hijabs. In my painting, the woman wears a delicate lace, symbolizing choice rather than forced covering. Her hair is a rainbow, representing LGBTQ+ people in Iran, who have no rights and cannot live freely like they can in the U.S.
Margy: That’s powerful. How did you learn to paint portraits?
Leila: When you practice and teach art, you develop techniques for drawing faces and bodies. It’s hard to explain—it just happens. Sometimes, I use my own body as a reference in my paintings.
Margy: She does resemble you! When did you sell your first piece?
Leila: In 2012. It was a small wood painting. A woman walked into my gallery in Walnut Creek, loved it, and asked for the price. I said $50, but she insisted on paying $100. That was my first sale.
Margy: Do you still paint on eggs?
Leila: Yes! Let me show you.
(Leila brings out her painted eggs.)
Margy: Wow! These are beautiful, so detailed.
Leila: Thank you. This is called miniature painting, an ancient art form in Iran, also seen in China and Japan.
Margy: You faced challenges during COVID, right?
Leila: Yes, I had to close my Walnut Creek studio, so I moved my work home. I taught backyard classes with masks and social distancing and even did online lessons. My students love art, and some are very talented.
Margy: Where can people find your work?
Leila: I’m on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and Etsy under Leila Art Gallery.
Margy: I’ll include your details below. You’re so talented, and I’m so glad to know you.
Leila: Thank you.
Margy: I’m Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group. If you’re interested in Leila’s art or commission work, reach out. If you know someone who’d like to be featured on A Few Minutes with Margy, let me know.
Leila: Thank you!
Margy: Thank you!
Articles
Meet Leila Azari, Owner Artist and designer of Leila Art Gallery in Concord, California
Margy: Hi, welcome to A Few Minutes with Margy. I'm Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group, and today I’m here with a special guest, my friend Leila Azari, a talented artist known for her paintings and mosaics. Leila, you have a fascinating background—you’re from Iran and started painting at just seven years old.
Leila: Yes, I started painting early because I felt art was in my soul. It’s a way to express myself and communicate with people.
Margy: That’s amazing. So, you took art classes in school and continued painting. How long were you in Iran before moving to the U.S.?
Leila: I lived in Iran until I was 25. After finishing university, I started working, then married a U.S. citizen and moved here in 2007. I went to college to learn English, then worked at St. Catherine of Siena School in Martinez for two and a half years. But I wanted to create my own path, so in 2010, I started my own business, Leila Art Gallery. Since then, I’ve participated in many exhibitions across the U.S., including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Seattle. I might be heading to Chicago soon for another show.
Margy: That’s fantastic! And we can’t forget Latte—she’s a big part of today’s conversation too.
Leila: Yes! She’s my little sweetheart.
Margy: You were telling me about this painting. Can you explain its meaning?
Leila: Sure. This piece represents the fight for freedom in Iran, especially for women. After Mahsa Jina Amini’s death in 2022, women protested against mandatory hijabs. In my painting, the woman wears a delicate lace, symbolizing choice rather than forced covering. Her hair is a rainbow, representing LGBTQ+ people in Iran, who have no rights and cannot live freely like they can in the U.S.
Margy: That’s powerful. How did you learn to paint portraits?
Leila: When you practice and teach art, you develop techniques for drawing faces and bodies. It’s hard to explain—it just happens. Sometimes, I use my own body as a reference in my paintings.
Margy: She does resemble you! When did you sell your first piece?
Leila: In 2012. It was a small wood painting. A woman walked into my gallery in Walnut Creek, loved it, and asked for the price. I said $50, but she insisted on paying $100. That was my first sale.
Margy: Do you still paint on eggs?
Leila: Yes! Let me show you.
(Leila brings out her painted eggs.)
Margy: Wow! These are beautiful, so detailed.
Leila: Thank you. This is called miniature painting, an ancient art form in Iran, also seen in China and Japan.
Margy: You faced challenges during COVID, right?
Leila: Yes, I had to close my Walnut Creek studio, so I moved my work home. I taught backyard classes with masks and social distancing and even did online lessons. My students love art, and some are very talented.
Margy: Where can people find your work?
Leila: I’m on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Threads, and Etsy under Leila Art Gallery.
Margy: I’ll include your details below. You’re so talented, and I’m so glad to know you.
Leila: Thank you.
Margy: I’m Margy Lyman with Dudum Real Estate Group. If you’re interested in Leila’s art or commission work, reach out. If you know someone who’d like to be featured on A Few Minutes with Margy, let me know.
Leila: Thank you!
Margy: Thank you!
