Different

West meets East in
the artwork of
Huntington Woods
resident Leonard Alkon.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special to The Jewish. News

f you come across a painting by Leonard Alkon,
it's unlikely you'll know it's his by the signature.
That's because Alkon signs his work with
Chinese characters.
Flowers, trees, animals — painted in an Oriental style
— seem more authentic because the artist's name is writ-
ten in the language associated with the techniques.
"It just seemed appropriate to sign them that way,"
says Alkon, who uses a red seal along with the signa-
ture. "I asked my teaser and others how to do it, and
they showed me what amounts.!.t047tlickname. )3
This month,- the ability to read Alkon's name won't
be necessary to recognizing his work. He has about 60
paintings on exhibit at the Oak Park Library.
"It gives me a great deal of pleasure just to look at
all these paintings on display together," says Alkon,
whose work also has been shown at the Detroit
Artists Market, Chinese Cultural Center in Troy,
Oakland County Executive Office Center in Pontiac
and the Royal Oak Public Library. "I like the simplic-
ity of the style."
Although Alkon's interest in art has a. long history,
dating back to his high school days in Detroit at
Northern and Central, the Oriental approach is only a
decade old. Alkon, 77, learned it after his wife,
Virginia, enrolled him in lessons as a birthday present.
"Painting satisfies a certain emotional need," explains .
Alkon, who continues to work as a commercial realtor
for Alkon Co. Real Estate in Southfield, where he shares
business responsibilities with one of his three daughters.
"It allows me to express myself easily."
The Oriental style, with flat images painted without
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