DAVID McLEISH
Living and working in the South West of West Australia my practice spans many years of working on a personal visual language to represent my world. My work encompasses Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting and Printmaking.
There is a widely held thought that most artists have a small list of interests, subjects or problems that they are focused on in their work and they keep pushing through those issues all of their lives. I can relate to this as many would. Somewhere in our development there are particular experiences and/or our visions that burn into our subconscious and seem to manifest in our visual language. There are probably endless solutions to portraying these phenomena and for me that is a strong draw card in my practice.
I think many of my earliest interests are still evident today and still provide to build on the approach, meanings and qualities of the work, and also the need to communicate these aspects to the viewer. Being inside but looking outside, dramatic and visual anomalies, skewed and exaggerated perspectives, light drama and the effects on colour harmonies, architectural spaces and the figure are constants.
For me, in particular, I have always been drawn to constructed human spaces and the psychological impact of being in, observing and constructing my own narrative about them and the people and personal objects in them. The reasons they have evolved, their form and function, the way the light and colour interacts with the form and the contrast between perspectives of inside and outside are strong draw cards. Drawing and or photographs are the initial staring points. Along the way at times the limits of a 2D surface felt limiting to what I was attempting to say and my inclination to extend and distort perspective and space so the natural was to explore working with a multi-surface and shaped surface approach hence the 3D panel work. I think there will be opportunities to push this further in future.
We see many thousands of images every day that offer endless potential for subjects but I have learnt to trust myself and limit the editing process. If something catches my eye I know to go with it. Many of the subjects of the works are close to or about my home and life and glimpses of a personal reality. This is what I best relate to.
To my way of thinking, paint media in particular is perfectly placed to reflect the experience and ideas I wish to express. The plasticity of paint has the amazing ability to convey mood, emotions, mystery, light, metaphor, meaning and ambiguity while also being a complete experience in itself. The way paint can be manipulated on different surfaces in a range of viscosities and combined with the elements and principles of art offers a unique visual language in a similar way that music can stir emotions and memory. I want the viewer to take whatever meaning or association they find in the works but also to be left with no doubt that they looking at a hand constructed artwork.
EDUCATION
Claremont School of Art. Fine Arts.
Curtin University. Art Education and Fine Arts.
Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Canada. Visual Arts Program.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1986 ‘THE SIGNED IMAGE’ Paul Landon, Ruth Scheuing and John Roche. Canada.
1987 ‘REVIEW’ The Southern Gazette.
1992 ‘REVIEW’ The West Australian Newspaper by Angela Wellington.
1995 ‘A SPIRITED PLACE’ A history of Claremont School Of Art. By Judith Hugo.
2000 ‘PEEL, HOME BY THE SEA’ Graeme Bond.
2001 ‘HINTERLANDS’ Graeme Bond.
AWARDS
1974 CHANNEL SEVEN YOUNG ARTISTS AWARD. Two paintings exhibited, Art Gallery W.A.
1984 Sabemo T.L.C. ARTS AWARD- HIGHLY COMMENDATION
1985 Sabemo T.L.C. ARTS AWARD- HIGHLY COMMENDATION
1985,1986 BANFF CENTRE FOR FINE ARTS AND CREATIVITY. Canada. SCHOLARSHIP - [financial] Visual and Inter-Arts Post Graduate Program – International Studies.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
1999 ‘ INTRAMURAL’ A solo exhibition of recent drawings, paintings and mixed media works by D. McLeish at the Mandurah art gallery curated by Gary Aitken.
1998 ‘SCULPTURE BY THE SEA’ “Message in a bottle”, invitation exhibition Albany W.A. as part of the Olympic Sea Change Program
1997 CLAREMONT SCHOOL OF ART BENEFIT INVITATION SHOW group exhibition of past students work
1994 ‘GROUP EXHIBITION ‘ Hale School Invitational show.
1993 ‘TWO PERSON EXHIBITION’ Stafford Studios Cottesloe. Recent Paintings, drawings and mixed media works..
1990 ‘JOINT EXHIBITION’ Claremont School of Art Galleries. “Paintings and drawings” 1988 ‘SOLO EXHIBITION’ Narrogin Galleries.
1988 ‘SOLO EXHIBITION ‘ Wagin Art Gallery.
1986 ‘THE SIGNED IMAGE’ Group Winter Cycle Participants exhibition- Walter Phillips Gallery. Banff Centre For Fine Arts and Creativity.
1975 ‘GRADUATE SHOW‘ “The Depot” Claremont. Joint final exhibition for Diploma
1974 ‘CHANNEL 7 YOUNG ARTISTS AWARD‘ 2 Paintings Exhibited at the Art Gallery of W.A.
COLLABORATIVE ART PROJECTS
DIVERSITY AND UNITY MURAL a large painted mural at Halls Head College [ Block 6 ] in conjunction with artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers 2016
Concept Development - Facilitator for School “Innovation Grant” Funding, Artist liaison, scheduling and program co-ordination and student engagement and media promotions at Halls Head College.
TOWN OF KWINANA 50TH ANNIVERSARY EVOLUTION SCULPTURE PROJECT; The design and production of two wall sculptures 1.2m x 1.2m using cast iron, wood and metallic patinas, in collaboration with Hismelt Industries [ Rio Tinto ] . Pieces located in Town of Kwinana council offices and Hismelt Administration office. March 2005. Managed jointly by Artsource and City of Kwinana.
HOUSE FACTION MURALS A collaborative project with MIV EGAN. The design co- ordination and production of 4 mixed media [ wood, paint, ceramic mosaic, metal.] wall murals each 2.4m x 2.4m x 1.2m For Halls Head Community College With assistance from the Visual Arts Foundation December 2004.
WRAPPED 30 - 1.6m x .3 m painted and wrapped structural veranda poles at Halls Head College in conjunction with year 8 – 12 Visual Art Classes at the College 2010
MAN AS ART a multi panel ceramic and mixed media figurative installed mural piece covering 5 metres high x 15 metres long for Halls Head Community College October 2003
SPRAY FICTION a 26 metre x 1.2 metre spray-can painted and mixed media mural based on fiction sub genres. Installed in the library of Halls Head Community College. A collaborative project with Artist Lesley King-Dowding and year 10 students, November 2002
MANDURAH CRABFEST FESTIVAL FANTASY PARADE FLOATS. 2000 AND 2001 a collaborative project with Artist Coral Lowry and the City OF Mandurah. Design and construction of parade floats with High School students using recycled materials. A total of 50 mixed media sculptural works commissioned for the Crabfest by “Cleanaway”
CRABFEST STAGE DECORATION PROJECT a collaborative painting project with artist Jamie Mills and the City of Mandurah and youth to provide an entry and stage feature based on a contemporary marine theme for the 1999 Mandurah Crabfest Festival.
CLEAR APPARITION A Submission for a community art sculpture for the Shire of Murray. Cast glass, metal and electronic sculpture based on a Ghost Story. 2001
PERCENT FOR ART SUBMISSION Sculpture. For Halls Head Community College. A large scale cast concrete and mixed media artwork proposal. 2000.
SCULPTURE BY THE SEA-ALBANY - “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE” a Sea of Change Olympic Exhibition. Design and construction of a recycled plastic and steel sculpture in collaboration with Sally McLeish. Project required complying with environmental regulations and conditions in a demanding site with heavy public access. 1999. Exhibition attended by 15,000 people over two weeks. Middleton Beach Albany.
ELEMENTS A large-scale wood, steel and mosaic sculpture covering 20sq meters x 6meters high for the entrance to the performing arts building at Coodanup Senior High School. Working with Artist Lesley King-Dowding 1995
PEOPLE AND PLACES A Mural for The Boardwalk Development Project through The City of Mandurah.1996 along with local artist Sandra Hill. Design and creation of 5 1.2m x 2.4m painted panels along with year 8 -12 Visual Arts Classes installed along perimeter of Mandurah Boardwalk.
MURAL Mandurah Bowling Club. Design and Co-ordination of a 20x 2m-water tank mural with staff and students from local school groups.1992