Ever since Leah Younker was encouraged by her second grade teacher to exhibit a painting in the SDMA Children’s Exhibition in the 1950s, she has painted in various media and subject matter.

After receiving an MFA from SDSU in 1987, she taught at several colleges in the San Diego area and was a member and founder of several artist groups. 

Regarding her local SD neighborhood landscapes, Younker recalls that “around 2000, I began painting El Cajon Boulevard near where I’ve lived for almost 50 years. Urban landscape has been my theme since then. As I paint, lifelong memories help me create a sense of each place.”