Wendy Leach, MFA (hons)
Wendy Leach's current paintings are large, energetic and visually powerful abstract works. Her inquiry is around the concept of painting as mark-making and the relationship of differing types of line. These works are not subject based. The works reference the importance of mark-making as a mode of expression, the gestural nature and bodily scale of this mark-making process.
Wendy is a graduate of both Elam School of Fine Arts, (Dip FA) and Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design (MFA Hons 1st class). She is also a qualified high school teacher (DipTchg).
She has had twenty solo exhibitions and has exhibited in around thirty group and collaborative shows. Wendy always enjoyed painting landscape and she frequently traveled overseas to paint landscape in France, Italy and the Middle East. She has exhibited in Jordan.
She has worked with oil paint, acrylic paint and mixed media painting techniques. She has always enjoyed exploring the possibilities within techniques and materials. In 2000, 'International Artist' magazine, published in USA, ran an eight-page article featuring Wendy and her mixed media technique in which she combined gouache and oil pastel.
By 2006 Wendy's work was evolving away from painting landscapes, which were no longer challenging or satisfying her. She commenced study for a Master of Fine Arts degree. Her graduation exhibition was held in January 2008, and she was awarded her Master of Fine Arts with First Class Honours.
From 2009 to 2015 Wendy and her husband Colin lived and worked in Europe. They returned to New Zealand and now live between Mangawhai Heads and Auckland. Wendy has established her painting studio in Mangawhai Heads.
Wendy's next solo exhibition is at ArtHAUS Orakei from 15 February 2018. Read Wendy's full story at www.wendyleach.com.
Email: wendy@leach.nz Phone +64 22 6535 288
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WendyLeachArt/ Instagram: @wendyleach_art
Studio: Cheviot Street, Mangawhai Heads, New Zealand. Viewings of Wendy's work are by appointment only.
