Born in Riga, Latvia, he received his B.A. from Loyola College, Mtl., and his M.F.A. from Syracuse University, N.Y. A painter known for his urban landscapes and street scenes, especially of his home city of Montreal. Since 1974 he has devoted his time completely to paint­ing. Through discipline and good craftsmanship he has achieved the maximum in technical skill.

He frequently travels to Ottawa, Toronto and Quebec City to collect materials for his paintings. In his pictures there is a warmth of atmosphere and human presence of city dwellers going about their daily routines giving the viewer a feeling of actually being there. Leimanis is a fine colourist and excellent draughtsman. His work has been described as follows, "Leimanis in­fuses his subjects with the insight and care of one in love with, and inspired by, the city. Whether downtown or in a residential area, night or day, regardless of the season, the paintings of Andris Leimanis capture the various nuances of light and shadow to be found in the city - the soft, sensuous glow of a sidewalk café at dusk, the brilliant splash of morning sunlight on a downtown street in autumn - with an accuracy that reveals a keen and affectionate sense of observation."

His solo shows include: Engineer's Club, Mtl. (1975); Atelier J. Lucas, Mtl. (1977) (1979); Kar Gallery of Fine Art, Tor. (1980); Kaspar Gallery, Tor. (1984); Galerie Bernard Desroches, Mtl. (1982) (1984) (1986) (1988).

Extract from “A Dictionary of Canadian Artists”