ARTIST INTERVIEW: Leanne Pearce
Leanne Pearce
Tell me about yourself. What ignited the spark to pursue a career in art?
When I was a little girl, my neighbour loved art, being much younger than her I mimicked and admired her, so drew when she did and painted to impress her. This is where my love for art manifested itself. I have never stopped being creative and I couldn’t imagine not pursuing a creative career path.
All my education (a-levels, a diploma and 2 degrees), had an emphasis on creativity. I worked in an office once, but I soon retreated back to the warm and innovative art world.
What do you love about painting portraiture? What do you find fascinating about painting the human body?
I love both painting and drawing, painting for its colour and drawing for its precision. My subject of choice is always the human face, eyes being the windows to the soul is maybe a cliché, but who cares I definitely feel this and I love capturing a glint and making the eye shine with a tiny dash of titanium white.
How has becoming a mother influenced your artwork? Tell me about your ‘Breastfed’ series and why this series is important to you.
I am a maternal person, I love babies, children, motherhood (even the lows)! I have 2 children, girls 9 and 11 years old. They definitely influence me, first I love their faces, I can stare admiringly at them like I would no other human being. I paint or draw them all the time, I don’t want to miss a beat in their fast-moving lives so I document their portraits on canvas often.
When my second child was a baby, I was breastfeeding her and as she looked up at me, I suddenly thought I need to paint this moment! I loved breastfeeding so much, our bodies are amazing, not only to grow another human but to make specifically designed food tailored to their needs… miraculous! I knew it was fleeting and to capture us both on canvas would last a life time. I also felt passionately that breastfeeding mothers haven’t been given space they need in our society to show what we do, so I started painting other mums breastfeeding their little humans, this became a series titled breastfeed Portraits with Purpose. I exhibited the work throughout the UK in community spaces, hospitals, universities and galleries. The work now resides in maternity wards throughout the UK, with the hope it will open up conversations and inspired people about breastfeeding.
You have appeared on Portrait Artist of the Year twice. Describe your experience on the show. How did you deal with the time constraints?
I have appeared On Portrait Artist of the Year 2017 and 2022 and as contestant on ITV’s A Brush with Fame, where I reached the national semifinals. It’s quite exhilarating to be selected as a contestant, although I am always trying to fathom why my self portraits get through…. another case of imposter syndrome, common amongst us.
Before filming, I am a bag of nerves, I can’t settle, sleep and eat! I question my skills just before I begin and I think I have forgotten everything I know… this is probably quite common though, us artists tend to be quite solitary creatures and to be placed in a artificial studio with famous people, a camera crew, an audience and time restraints is taunting to say the least! But definitely worth the experience all the same, it is great to push myself out of my comfort zone just to see what I can achieve!
You carried out a project called ’School Portraits’. What is the project about? Why do you think it is important to educate young people about art?
Like I said I love children, they are also glorious to paint! I have worked in many schools over the years and I gain as much from the experience as the young people do.
Recently I created a project where I painted a child from each year group in a primary school, I live painted in front of them in assembly, they asked me questions along the way and back in my studio. I documented the whole process which I made into a short film. The school now has the portraits hanging in their reception area, under the heading Growing Happy, Healthy and Successful Together. It was a great success, the kids learnt a lot, as did I.
Thinking about the last piece of work you created, what was your creative process? What is the piece about?
Recently I have worked on a significant commission titled The Missing Women. I had to paint a huge portrait (1m x 2m) of the character Dinah from the Old Testament. I worked with a group of young people in secondary school to try to piece together what she would look like, her stance, body language and any symbolism the painting should offer. One of the young people was my muse, we dressed her and directed her in photoshoot to get the best photographs to work from to paint her portrait. The painting now resides in Bishop Auckland Castle alongside the work of my contemporaries who created the portraits of other missing women and that of Francisco De Zurbaran (1598-1664) who famously painted the sons of Jacob, brothers to Dinah.
Do you have a favourite tool to use when painting in the studio? If so, what is it and why?
This is an interesting question, obviously I love good quality paint and brushes, but a recent purchase has been a pot and brush holder in one, there is nifty mesh at the bottom of the pot to help clean your brushes too. Slightly boring but immensely practical!
Who is your favourite artist? If they were sat next to you right now, what would you ask them? Do they have an influence on your work?
I am influenced by and admire so many artists, I have a slight addiction to Instagram reels which capture art time lapses and processes.
If I had to choose my favourite artist it would be Jenny Saville, she amazes me! I can’t fathom how she creates such abstraction and realism at the same time! Her work is visceral, fleshy and alive. I would just love to be a fly on the wall in her studio whilst she paints.
Why do you think art is important in society?
Jeez art is so important, it’s a massive part of being human since time began! Art is everywhere. It is embedded in our culture, yet we are constantly questioning what art is. It can change us, alter our direction of travel, inspire our adventures, question our ethics and make us feel something elusive and intangible and for those reasons very exciting, but also a necessity… Big up to all artists out there.
