Stuart Leask, continued from Page 27
Wingert, who he describes as his best friend and support system. This relationship made him even more resolute in becoming an artist. Unfortunately, tough times continued. In 2018, Leask’s daughter from a previous marriage, Samantha, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he came close to a nervous breakdown. “I paint for her – for when she can’t express herself through her art.” He then adds, “In the act of painting all my worries disappear. Right now, Sam is doing great and is back to painting and creating some amazing work, much of it on her iPad.” It was also during this time that Leask put together his first public exhibit of his acrylic arts, which were featured at BrainVessel, a unique gallery of sensory experiences located in Mechanicsburg, PA. Leask uses social media quite a bit to post his art, to look at the art of others, and give and receive feedback. “This is integral to my art, and it is what drives me forward reaching further within myself to create my paintings.” To understand Leask’s art, it is important to know his inspiration. He states, “A lot of my inspiration is based on my photojournalism background. How I visualize things on my travels as well as my day-to-day routines. I take a lot of photos of places I go . . . all sorts of images. Then I mentally group the separate images into one central illustration. The magic comes in between the various photos I shoot and the scene that develops on the canvas.” Leask’s technique is unique in that he often starts with an underpainting of a gray gesso to which he then uses chalk to create outlines of his work, much like a black and white negative. After this he may also do an underpainting of burnt umber. He then layers on colors and watches as the negative becomes a composition. He often leaves bits of the chalk outlines showing through the work to create a luminous effect and sometimes bits of the gray underpainting will also be left exposed. He works entirely in acrylics as he feels these allow him to work faster and achieve his desired effect quickly. “There is not really any single feeling I am consciously trying to express. I paint what I like. I paint how my eyes see a scene, differently than how others would see it. I attempt to seize a moment, to experience an event and transform it into a visual display of light and movement. I want people to feel they are part of the painting – to be able to see it come alive as if they were there.” He adds, “Early on I wanted to paint like N.C. Wyeth but soon learned that I needed to just be myself.” When asked what he would like for viewers to take away from his art he says, “I want people to feel emotion when looking at my work. I want people to understand that behind each finished work, there is an artist that experienced the scene first-hand. It is my grasp at immortality – when I am gone part of me will remain and hopefully be cherished and each scene can be relived.” Leask’s website is www.stuleask.com; Facebook is @stuleask. com; Instagram is Stuleask. His work can also be seen at Smith’s Custom Framing and Fine Art Gallery located in New Cumberland (which was featured in Harrisburg Magazine’s March 2022 issue). There is also a YouTube ArtTalks2U video created by Smith’s Custom Framing and Fine Art Gallery featuring Leask at https:// youtu.be/uHM2fveG3fw. 7
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