Deborah Leigh | Shapeshifters
to
Outsiders and Others Art Society 716 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6A 1R5
Deborah Leigh
Courtesy of the Gallery.
Opening reception with the artist in attendance: Saturday, November 5 from 2-4pm
Deborah Leigh was born in Prince George in the early 1950’s. Deborah Leigh didn’t start to draw until she was in her 50’s and is now 71 and more creative than ever.
During a period of recovery from an illness, Deborah started to “doodle” to help her relax. These “doodles” quickly evolved in size and in subject matter. Black and white shapes and forms turned into full coloured surreal landscapes with creatures, people, foliage, trees, houses, and so on.
This exhibition will focus on 21 black and white drawings on paper that Deborah created in 2015 and then put them away, until now. This collection of drawings is one of the best representations of the visionary style that draws so many people into Deborah's work.
In Deborah's words:
"I create as a form of escapism, and I just love the process of creating. Each piece is never pre-planned, I simply work from my imagination, intuition, and the subconscious.
My hope is that viewers could be drawn into my images with a sense of curiosity, wonderment, and questioning of what the images are trying to portray. I like to include pathways, roads, and byways that represent the journeys we all undertake and where these paths may be leading us to in our lives.
My art is the pathway to the imaginary place in our minds. It is escapism – a place I can journey to, where all of our pain, struggles and worries can be left behind. Within my work I find a sense of peace, even if it’s just for a matter of moments.”