'From Within' — Ash Leslie

Artist Statement

My paintings look to investigate the subconscious marks left on our memory. I begin a piece with an intuitive approach where I encourage diluted washes of paint to stain and leave impressions on the canvas. This allows the piece to reveal itself similarly to that of recalling a memory. As layers are added scenes come in to focus, blurring the lines between what is real and what is imagined. This process of discovery is one I find very exciting and what brings me back to my work each time.

Theme: SCALE

I have been working on these pieces from my home studio where I have been observing the surrounding bushland from both inside and outside my house. Whilst contemplating how scale influences a viewers experience of my work, I have realised that looking out from a window feels similar to viewing a small scale work; a scene framed from a distance. Whereas working within a larger scale gives me the feeling as if i have stepped outside the house and have become apart of the landscape itself. The immersive experience of large scale is one I personally find very impactful and yet the contrasting experience of small scale is also an equally important part of my practice.

These works were heavily influenced by Illawarra flame trees found on the land where I live in the Illawarra Escarpment, on Dharawal country. They have an amazing scarlet flower and were used by the Wodi Wodi First Nations people for making string, fishing nets and traps and food.

— Ash Leslie, Coledale, NSW