Meeting Jay Leno

Jan 29

A Night to Remember

I was invited to come and paint at the Banff Springs Hotel for the Western Connection Radiance Gala on January 25th, 2025

I spent the evening painting a northern lights piece that they would be auctioned off at the end the evening for charity. I talked to a lot of people and had a great time. I was hoping at some point there would be the opportunity for me to meet the keynote speaker, the one and only, Jay Leno!

I finished up my painting and made my way to my table. As I sat down to enjoy the meal with the guests, Mr. Leno walked right by our table and stood off to the side of the stage as he was preparing for his set.

There were just a few people near him, and I felt very shaky and nervous, but them I remembered a live in a movie I saw once where the guy was so nervous to kiss the girl so he said “3-2-1'“ and leaned in for the kiss without thinking about it. So I did the same thing, “3-2-1” and I stood up and had an out of body experience watching myself approaching Mr. Leno!

“Hello Mr. Leno. I was wondering if I could have a photo with you?” I said with an awkward smile.

Mr. Leno: “Of course!’ he said with a huge smile and he leaned his cheek into mine. A few people standing around also took our picture. It was surreal!

I showed my table mates and they said, “You got the cheek lean!!” Haha! He made my night and I was thrilled to capture the moment. I’m happy I took a risk & felt uncomfortable for a brief moment to meet a legend!

Here’s that photo I snapped of us!

And here’s the painting I created that night that I called “Radiant light” that sold for $5k

With the winning bidder @ the Radiance Gala at the Banff Springs Hotel

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Giselle Denis

Giselle Denis is an Alberta-based Canadian artist whose expressive landscapes celebrate the beauty and spirit of the natural world while inspiring hope. A recipient of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta Award of Excellence in the Arts, she creates paintings that capture not only the beauty of a place, but also the feeling of being immersed in it.

In addition to her studio practice, Giselle is an internationally recognized performance painter who has created live paintings before audiences across Canada and around the world. Highlights of her international career include a residency at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai, painting for the Canadian Embassy, the Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi, and representing Explore Edmonton in Québec City.

Her public artworks include Mother Nature, a 40-by-26-foot mural celebrating Alberta's forests and wildflowers in downtown Edmonton, just one block from Rogers Place, as well as two large-scale paintings at Strathcona Community Hospital.

For more than a decade, Giselle has combined her passion for art with philanthropy, helping charitable organizations raise more than $1 million through the sale of her original paintings. Her work has achieved record-breaking auction results, including the sale of a single painting for $50,000.

Giselle's contributions to the arts have also been recognized with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. Her work can be found in private, corporate, and public collections throughout Canada. She is proud to be represented by Avens Gallery.

Giselle often says she works out life through painting. Every brushstroke is a way of making sense of life itself. Through her work, she hopes to inspire others to slow down, reconnect with nature, and discover beauty, hope, and wonder in the world around them.

https://www.giselledenis.com

Meeting Jay Leno

A Night to Remember

Why Original Art Costs What It Does

Why I Chose to Become an Artist