"As a child I was entranced by tiny worlds which flourished in the back yard, realms of bees with their royal families, worm-like caterpillars who sprouted fairy wings and took flight, the heroic odysseys of the birds who reappeared in the spring. Immersed
in fairy tales and myth I gave these creature human traits. Years later these early fascinations with narrative, myth and wonderment reappeared in my painting.
Delight is sufficient reason to proceed, and so I have."
in fairy tales and myth I gave these creature human traits. Years later these early fascinations with narrative, myth and wonderment reappeared in my painting.
Delight is sufficient reason to proceed, and so I have."
Photography by C.Whitney-Ward
And what a delight it was for me to step into Lea's wonderful studio - three rooms filled with a retrospective of her romantic, ethereal work. The first room is her working studio where there are paintings and drawings in progress.
The back room is her gallery.
And upstairs is an inviting lounge and a collection of her earlier work.
"I create allegorical/metaphysical portraits, " explains Lea. "My work includes insect and bird headpieces and some sort of ecological theme worked into the millinery touches - what a butterfly
or bird eats, for example."
Q U E S T I O N S ?
Q. If you could be one of your paintings which one?
A. I would be the Homage to the Common Bird - either the woman or the birds.
Q. If you could choose any building in the world to be your canvas, which one?
A. Two years ago I lived in Paris for a few months - the Montmartre district - and I was drawn to the water tower just behind the Sacre'-Coeur Basilica. I would paint the queen bees court in the honeycomb on the facade and all the bounty that bees pollinate - fruits vegetables and flowers.
Q. What's themes will be next for you?
A. Mammals, a more textured element. I like puns, so perhaps a ' Foxie Series'.
