Bio

Leah Giberson was raised by artists deep in the woods of New Hampshire. From her earliest memories she was fascinated by the orderly scenes and presumed normality of suburbia, all of which seemed worlds away from her own bohemian upbringing. This tension between fact and fiction in our perceptions continues to be a source of inspiration in her art. Leah received her BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art in 1997 and has lived on the top floor of a triple decker in Brookline, MA ever since.


Statement

My work combines photography, painting and a bit of collage. I build the foundation for each piece with prints of my photography. I cut out the parts I want to use and layer them onto the front and sides of a panel, before painting over the entire image and any exposed surfaces. Painting allows me to distill the image to what feels essential, change what doesn't make sense, while also pushing and pulling to create depth in the flatness, light in the shadows and shine in the reflections. My process echoes the way we each edit and reconstruct our memories, in an attempt to unearth and create meaning in our experiences.

Process

To see timelapse videos of my process, click here.