Contact
lea.holland1@gmail.com
901 921 9799
Statement
Age hasn’t brought me wisdom, unless wisdom is characterized by bewilderment. The world is no longer the orderly and elegant construct of the design discipline I’ve known all my life. My early paintings were similarly orderly and elegant. But I’ve realized that those simple, organized rules no longer work. Set adrift, my reaction to the world at large and my personal world is anger, isolation, confusion and vulnerability.
My recent work combines the naïve representations and quirky concepts of 17th century human biology overlaid with 21st century scientific advancement, illustrated by antique linocut printing and contemporary pattern elements. I’m fascinated by advances in science, but view them with an obsolete mindset. Complex scientific concepts elude me. They’re so many pretty pictures and interesting words.
I work on fabric, collaging piece by piece, combining and layering elements tentatively, reluctant to commit to finishing. I describe my view of the world as messy, chaotic and ultimately unknowable.
My earliest influences were the joyful, comforting images of Matisse, the subtle simplicity of Japanese art, the disciplined elegance of the Bauhaus. These days I yearn to achieve the disturbing, fearless, spontaneous and raw energy of Chaim Soutine and Francis Bacon. A teacher has described my work as disturbing and yet elegant. I’d be satisfied to eliminate the control and structure implied by elegance.
Background
Growing up in Philadelphia, I was steeped in art and history. My career in graphic design spans 25 years between New York and Los Angeles in the automotive, health and entertainment industries. During my 10-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company, I developed design guidelines for film and television licensing programs including “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “The Lion King”, and “Toy Story”. Marriage brought me to Memphis in 2004. Our family includes 9 dogs, 3 turtles and about 500,000 bees. Painting is my primary medium, though I’ve pursued ceramics and mosaics as well.
Education
Parsons School of Design, BFA 1980: graphic design, advertising, packaging
Exhibitions
2019 BLUE quilt challenge, with Stitched: The Art of Quilting. Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN
2018 35th Annual Juried Student Exhibition, Art Museum of the University of Memphis, TN
2017 Potluck, Crosstown Arts, Memphis TN
2015 Belongings, Crosstown Arts, Memphis TN
2015 Public/Art/ists, Crosstown Arts, Memphis TN
2014 Student Show, Flicker Street Studio, Memphis TN
2014 RiverArtsFest Invitational, ANF Architects, Memphis TN
2014 Party of Five, Glitch Gallery, Memphis TN
Public Art
2013 “Harlequin”, “Priest of Apollo”, mosaic restoration of 1960s mosaic panels by
Thorne Edwards, Overton Square, Memphis TN
2013 “Circuit”, mosaic pavement, Overton Square, Memphis TN
2010 “I Can Fly”, with Jeanne Seagle, LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, Memphis TN
17’-tall mosaic sculpture with a rotating bird and child figure
2009 “A Day Downtown”, mosaic restoration of a design by Jeanne Seagle, Memphis TN
Design Career Highlights
1988-1998 Creative Director, Walt Disney Consumer Products, Burbank CA
1980-2001 Corporate identity and collateral projects including Estée Lauder, Honda,
UCLA,The Walt Disney Company