About Deirdre Leber
Statement
My paintings, synthesized from observation and my imagination, are a dialogue between the observed and the remembered, the planned and the surprise that happens on the canvas. Over time I been drawn to figures and have placed them within different settings, from interiors, to leaf filled woods and most recently, a series of women in water. Water, because it is yielding and soft and at the same time amazingly strong, is a very suitable environment for female figures. In these images a tension is created between representation and abstraction as the figures appear and disappear in the fluid surfaces of each painting. Symbol and meaning are balanced and intertwined with the formal elements of light, color, surface and form.
Working with a palette knife, I layer one color over another, creating an expressive and painterly surface with a range of vibrant and subtle hues. Once I have composed the image on the canvas, the physical process of painting takes over as I respond to the interactions of textures, lines and shapes. Often, after the work is done, I discover connections between the figures and their surroundings, which I had not consciously planned, yet these add to the meaning and mood of the image. That sense of surprise and discovery, a window into my subconscious, is one of the great joys of painting.
Deirdre Leber
Aqueous Slumber