Leah’s paintings have always been connected with the surrounding landscape. She paints from memory, but is inspired by continuous journeys through the Connemara countryside where she lives. Reacting to visual and atmospheric elements around her, the resulting work is meditative for both artist and observer. This brings a quiet beauty to her paintings.
Recently the scale of her work has become an important factor in her approach. Previously working on large scale pieces she now creates on a very small scale. This plays two important roles in her practice. Firstly encouraging a finish to the composition, this sometimes involves cutting up larger paintings by finding a smaller area that works, then working and reworking the surface. Secondly this small scale invites the viewer to take a closer look and compels an intimate viewing experience.
Working with oils on canvas, board or paper, she uses paint in a layering process and occasionally makes use of collage or draws in lines with pastel, adding another dimension to the piece. She works on a series of paintings at a time; each one feeds the next and brings a certain harmony to the body of work.
Although the subject matter can be recognised as landscape, it has an abstract quality to it. The basic elements of the landscape are broken down into more simplified forms. Aerial views are mixed with head on perspectives, natural occurrences such as land, sea, lakes, rivers, and mountains are dotted with man-made additions to the landscape such as buildings, roads, telegraph poles etc.
The paintings small scale involves close-up viewing to appreciate the underlying layers of paint, whilst viewing from a distance – along with subtle hints from the titles – give a sense of the initial compositional inspiration.
