Leigh Rowles ... disciplined artist with a mischievous soul.
By Liane Arno
THE thing about chatting with Leigh Rowles is that your discussion will always be full of wonder, of mischief, of philosophy, of life and of humour. And in no particular order or emphasis.
Her conversation is mimicked by her abstracts – jam-packed full of colour, of creativity, of originality, eclectic and engaging.
THE thing about chatting with Leigh Rowles is that your discussion will always be full of wonder, of mischief, of philosophy, of life and of humour. And in no particular order or emphasis.
Her conversation is mimicked by her abstracts – jam-packed full of colour, of creativity, of originality, eclectic and engaging.
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As a lead ballet dancer and choreographer she has been to the artistic centres of the world. Being trained and training others at world elite level meant that she has always had the greatest respect for the classical art form. She has seen at first hand the great masters’ works in museums and galleries and as a result never took her own pursuit of art lightly. She says she is humbled by the great talent of others.
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Leigh’s solo exhibition, Expressions of Thought ... Life is at ArtSpace from Tuesday 12th May to Saturday 27th June. The opening is on Sunday 17th of May from 1-3pm. |
Her ballet required her to learn discipline from a very young age and that discipline has extended itself to her art.
She will stand poised with brush in hand in front of her canvas and let herself be taken with, as she describes it, her soul and spirit guiding the brush from palette to canvas and back again. She says she can claim credit for nothing. Her style is varied and at a recent solo exhibition commentators observed that the works could have been created by four different artists’ hands.
She will stand poised with brush in hand in front of her canvas and let herself be taken with, as she describes it, her soul and spirit guiding the brush from palette to canvas and back again. She says she can claim credit for nothing. Her style is varied and at a recent solo exhibition commentators observed that the works could have been created by four different artists’ hands.
Leigh Rowles: The Threads We Weave Upon The Roads We Tread
Each one of her works, which she can spend months creating, reflects her personality – honest and uplifting with joy and purpose. She wants to express human emotions which she observes are very often delicate and profound but common to us all.
Typically she paints in the early hours of the morning when we are all resting and when there are no distractions to interfere with her concentration and passion.
She refuses to paint anything that reflects despair or despondency. She reflects that when the world is in chaos, as it is today, it increases her realisation that we are so lucky. Our lives in this beautiful and nurturing part of the world, she muses, is in such stark contrast to a world where bombs fall from the sky and fear is an everyday emotion. Any one of us, she tells me, could have been born anywhere. Genetics and circumstance are the things that shape us.
Typically she paints in the early hours of the morning when we are all resting and when there are no distractions to interfere with her concentration and passion.
She refuses to paint anything that reflects despair or despondency. She reflects that when the world is in chaos, as it is today, it increases her realisation that we are so lucky. Our lives in this beautiful and nurturing part of the world, she muses, is in such stark contrast to a world where bombs fall from the sky and fear is an everyday emotion. Any one of us, she tells me, could have been born anywhere. Genetics and circumstance are the things that shape us.
Leigh Rowles: Elements
She is such a positive person, full of energy and vitality. It is certainly not in her nature to be negative and to dwell on terrible circumstances. She believes that all things in life are lessons and we all have the tools to manage them. She goes on to say that we have been given the great gift of living and anyone that expresses aggression or unkind words to another is foolish and absurd.
It is not only the relative safety of living in Bass Coast that Leigh loves but also the raw natural beauty and its geological calm that seems to envelop its inhabitants. She takes such joy in the fact that she has been embraced by the community, and in particular the art community and its many generous volunteers and art appreciators. She described her experience with the community as being, “picked up as an orphan and plonked into their souls”.
As someone who has lived in hotels throughout the world she finds solace in the shores and lands of Bass Coast that isn’t overdeveloped and has in its core a natural beauty that permeates the souls that inhabit the area. She is no stranger to the cities of New York, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing and London. And yet it is here that she prefers to be.
Contrasting with the head down workforce and the hustle and bustle and selfishness of the large cities, here she finds people making eye contact and exuding warmth.
It is not only the relative safety of living in Bass Coast that Leigh loves but also the raw natural beauty and its geological calm that seems to envelop its inhabitants. She takes such joy in the fact that she has been embraced by the community, and in particular the art community and its many generous volunteers and art appreciators. She described her experience with the community as being, “picked up as an orphan and plonked into their souls”.
As someone who has lived in hotels throughout the world she finds solace in the shores and lands of Bass Coast that isn’t overdeveloped and has in its core a natural beauty that permeates the souls that inhabit the area. She is no stranger to the cities of New York, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing and London. And yet it is here that she prefers to be.
Contrasting with the head down workforce and the hustle and bustle and selfishness of the large cities, here she finds people making eye contact and exuding warmth.
Leigh Rowles: Release
She points out that despite all the differences we are all made of the same elements, we are not separate at all. She shares the fact we are all made of the substance of stars.
Every part of each of us - calcium, iron and oxygen - was once inside a star. Some atoms of our bodies have passed through several supernovae before finding their way into our world’s oceans, soils, plants, animals, and finally into us.
And no this isn’t metaphor. It’s astrophysics.
All I know is that there is a star in our midst.
Every part of each of us - calcium, iron and oxygen - was once inside a star. Some atoms of our bodies have passed through several supernovae before finding their way into our world’s oceans, soils, plants, animals, and finally into us.
And no this isn’t metaphor. It’s astrophysics.
All I know is that there is a star in our midst.