Kathleen Judith Coren was born in Townsville in 1903 the second daughter of Francis De Sales Coren and Elizabeth Gray. Her sisters Doris and Belle, who were talented in different fields, were born in 1901 and 1908 respectively. Their father worked for the Langdon family on a property outside Muttaburra and the girls were schooled locally and later at the Mundingburra State School, Townsville. Kathleen, who was a proficient violinist throughout her life, first studied her chosen instrument at St Patrick’s High School, Townsville.
Kathleen worked as a photographic retoucher for Laurie’s Studio, Townsville, under the guidance of Elsie Lampton and was encouraged to study drawing at the Townsville Technical College. Subsequently, she worked at the Graham Studio, Mackay, before making her way to Brisbane. Here she took further lessons with the artist, Vida Lahey, and began to exhibit, largely portraits, with the Royal Queensland Art Society (RQAS) in 1938.
During the years of World War II she served as draftswoman for the construction business owned by Jack Mulholland and was stationed at Kissing Point, Townsville. While here, she painted the portrait of USA Army Nurse, Lt. F. Miller which was exhibited in the RQAS’s Annual exhibition in 1942.
When she returned to Brisbane Kathleen painted and exhibited with the Brisbane Art Group from 1948 to 1953 which included Dorothy Coleman, G. Wilson Cooper, Marion Finlayson, Flora Hosking, Vera Leichney, Wal Potts and James Wieneke. She also studied with Richard Rodier Rivron (a student of the Royal Academician, Glyn Philpot) whose teaching methods brought a fresh approach to her art practice in the years from 1950 to 1954.
She married George Leichney in 1953 after the death of his first wife, Vera, in 1951 and as Kathleen Leichney served on the committee of the RQAS from 1956 to 1969. For some reason her exhibition career slowed significantly during the 1950s, but revived the following decade in which she exhibited from 1960 to 1971. Leichney was made an honorary life member of the Society in 1978.
Kathleen became a close friend of the prominent sculptor, Daphne Mayo, and they painted portraits of each other. Mayo’s portrait shows Kathleen clasping her violin as she performs with Brisbane’s String Orchestra. Mayo also produced a bronze head of Kathleen, ca. 1955, which is in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. It is probably through this connection that Daphne Mayo received the commission from Mulholland’s for the bronze Jolly Swagman at Winton installed in 1958.
Leichney suffers from the obscurity that burdens many portrait painters as her major works are unseen in the private collections of the families that commissioned the portraits. Two only are in public collections: Little girl in the RQAS Collection, Brisbane, and Self portrait in the Perc Tucker Regional Gallery, Townsville. Her funeral service was held at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Indooroopilly, in 1983.
