Leanne Thomas

The Audacity of Hope

2024

Leanne Thomas is a Sydney based artist known for her floral oil paintings. Previously an art director in the advertising world, Leanne’s practice grew from a desire to express her love of nature, classical art and beauty. Ultimately, Leanne is committed to creating art that exudes light, life and hope in a way that might resonate with every viewer. Neither From Nor Towards A new body of work, a year in the making. The poppies still remain as I continue to ponder the words of T S Elliot in his poem ‘Burnt Norton’, the first of the ‘Four Quartets’ ‘At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless; Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is, The poppies in each piece remain as the ‘still points’ – moments of pause within a world that turns around us. Each speak of a point at which time stands still for a moment – the transient life of a flower fixed in time – at which point it can be viewed and its fragile strength felt. The landscapes in the backgrounds have become more abstract in nature – to me they are landscapes of memory – some hazy some more distinct. Scenes in which a still fixed moment gives clarity and a pause from momentum ‘Neither movement from nor towards, a place where past and future gather’ (Burnt Norton, T S Elliot) For a time over this past year of making work I felt need to pause, to refresh. The pause produced a set of paintings made in grey scale. Made by mixing all of the colours on the palette. Layers of colour that have produced a set of grey, quiet and still paintings. Places to stop ponder reflect and take breath. Leanne Thomas August 2023 ‘Time past and time future What might have been and what has been Point to one end, which is always present’ Burnt Norton T S Elliot Selected Exhibitions 2023 Solo Exhibition Neither From Nor Towards, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney 2022 Solo Exhibition Daybreak to Day’s End,t Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney 2018 Solo Exhibition Songs of Light and Shade, Art2Muse Gallery, Sydney 2017 Solo Exhibition at Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay, Sydney 2015 Solo Exhibition In the cool of the day, Art2Muse Gallery, Double Bay 2012 Three Artists, Four Seasons, Mary Place Gallery Paddington 2011 Primavera, Group Show, Iain Dawson Gallery Paddington 2011 Group Show, Iain Dawson Gallery Paddington 2010 Groups Show, All Hand Made Gallery, Waverley 2008 Two Artists (opened by Gwyn Hanssen Pigott), All Hand Made Gallery, Waverley 2007 Group Show, All Hand Made Gallery, Waverley 2006 Group Show, All Hand Made Gallery, Waverley 2005 Final Year Students Exhibition, Pyrmont 2002 – 04 The Charlie Sheard Studio School, Redfern Private Collections in Sydney, Los Angeles, Auckland and Jerusalem