James Leonard was born in 1973 to a biologist and a medical doctor. The culture in his home was a mix of scientific curiosity, precision, and a Puritan work ethic. Leonard still carries threads of these traits through today, despite his almost bipolar indulgences in whimsy, satire, and sensuality.

In 1991, he entered Syracuse University as a painting major. During this degree program, Leonard spent time abroad in London, England. While there he officially attended the Chelsea College of Art and Design. But it was the young British art scene that provided his real education. London had a profound and formative effect on Leonard. Five years later, in 1996, he graduated with a self-styled degree in visual art with a primary focus on painting, sculpture, and media arts and a secondary focus on a foundation in physics, mathematics, and philosophy. Upon graduation, Leonard was awarded with Syracuse University's highest honor for excellence and achievement: the University Scholar.

After a period of travel, Leonard found a home in Chicago in late 1997. Here he began to work in earnest on Water Torture, a three year project that would prove to be a turning point in his studio practice. While in Chicago, Leonard continued to show and develop in the local emerging arts scene. In 1999, he met Cate Nolan, whom he later married in 2002. That same year, the two left Chicago for Ann Arbor, Michigan where Leonard began attending graduate school.

In 2004, Leonard received his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan in studio art with a cognate concentration on complex systems theory. Following his graduation, Leonard and his wife moved to Brooklyn, New York where they now work and live.