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Artist Leigh Werrell

Leigh Werrell is an artist living and working in Philadelphia. Recently the subjects of her paintings include her experiences as mother to a one-year-old, views of her Mount Airy neighborhood, everyday scenes with her family, and views of and through the windows of her home. She is originally from Durham, NC and came to Philadelphia for an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.


She is represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery, in Philadelphia and has also exhibited at galleries including Uffner and Liu (NYC), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Philadelphia), and Bowery Gallery (NYC).






"Mystery is always more compelling than resolution. Ambiguity gives the viewer an opportunity to immerse themselves in the color, light, and texture of a painting and discover hints of narrative with which to create their own story. I am interested in the in-between spaces that define a change of focus, a new direction, or a shift in mood. Using memory, sketches, and snapshots, I focus on moments of my life I find most captivating: a sliver of light shining through a closed blind, the translucent liquid in a glass, or the dark mass of a table in a bright room. A presence that may have just departed or hasn’t yet come. As these details come forward, the painting leads me to find a new atmosphere, mood, or emotion – a process that I hope is shared as the viewer finds their way through the work."



Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.

I grew up in Ohio and North Carolina, and moved to Philadelphia to attend the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for graduate school. My father is a sculptor and I was always encouraged by my parents to pursue art.


After I earned my MFA, I stayed in Philadelphia and have lived here for about 16 years. I feel very connected to the art scene in Philly, and the city's aesthetics inform my work immensely.


What kind of work are you currently making?

I am currently making paintings exploring personal narrative and the way that ambiguity within a scene can allow a viewer to make up their own story. In my work, portals and translucency generate mystery, and color becomes a mood-defining atmosphere.


Subjects of my work include my home and family, neighborhood windows and buildings, and peeks into other people's lives.


What is a day like in the studio for you?

My studio days look different now that I have a child. I don't get as much studio time as I used to so I have lost some staring and thinking time. I instead try to get to work immediately and use the time I have to the fullest. I have found that this often forces me to trust myself more, to make work that is less inhibited by doubt and anxiety, and to push myself to finish pieces that have reached the difficult end stage.


I work best in the morning, and I start out by making coffee or tea, closing the door, and putting on music or a podcast. In a previous studio session, I would have tried to decide what the next step is, so that I have that objective in mind for the current session.


I might then scour photos that I have taken in my day-to-day life, make a tonal drawing using one or more of those images, lay down a wash on a panel or canvas, or copy the drawing to the working surface. As I complete these tasks, I am contemplating the atmosphere, line quality, and tonal shifts of the painting that I plan to create. Making these decisions beforehand allows me to make a painting that is consistent in mood and character, and to focus on the smaller details as I go.


What are you looking at right now and/or reading?

Recently I've been obsessed with Jennifer Packer's paintings, and I'm always studying Hockney, Vuillard, and Manet, as well as James Castle and Joseph Cornell. I also love the art that is coming out of Philadelphia right now, and I'm excited to be a part of it.


I recently read Parakeet by Marie-Helene Bertino, which was surreal and magical in all the right ways - I hope to find a similar vibe in my work.


Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)










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