A. Leigh is an oil painter who lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. They are currently obtaining a Masters of Fine Arts at the Leroy E. Hoffberger School of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art. In 2017, they graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Visual Studies, which combines the fields of fine art, art history, philosophy, and perception science. Using this interdisciplinary framework, they explore the powerful psychology of painting. They have exhibited their work nationally in group shows, including 3 Square Art Gallery in Fort Collins, CO and the Arts North International 28 Exhibition at the Hopkins Art Center in Hopkins, MN where they won the 3rd place prize in the oil painting category.
StatementMy work is rooted in trying to process and understand the every-changing nature of the world. As a queer person, I see transition and transformation as an essential and beautiful part of life, and an experience we all undergo as we journey through different parts of it. I am particularly fascinated by painting because of its ability to transform from material to image and how it can inhabit both states simultaneously. By embracing this shifting nature, I explore the ephemerality of life through memories, dreams, and sensations. By responding to the liveliness of the material, I allow the paintings to remain open to multiple readings. They are vibrant psychological spaces that encourage the viewer’s imagination to fill in the blanks, transform them with their own mind, and create their own stories.
