SWENSON, LEAH

Statement
There are many types of landscapes: emotional, psychological, geographical, and physical. I create collage work from found paper along with my own imagery to construct these landscapes. I use encaustic wax, one of the oldest art practices, as a collage medium. I’m inspired by many contemporary and historic artists and movements, including the Mail Art Movement. My work often includes fragments of maps, which I’ve always been drawn to- the idea of mapping is beautiful to me. Orienting, grounding, from incredibly detailed to crude and abstract, guiding.

Biography
I was born in Breckenridge, Minnesota in 1989. The landscape was very flat. In 2008, I drove across the country with a minivan full of my possessions to Seattle, Washington to attend Cornish College of the Arts, where I completed the first year of my undergraduate study of Fine Art with emphasis in photography. In 2010, I drove back across the country the opposite direction to finish my undergraduate work at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) in Denver, CO. In 2013, I completed my undergraduate work, earning a BFA summa cum laude with emphasis in photography and video art from RMCAD. I am currently a member of both Pirate: Contemporary Art and NEXT Gallery in Denver's 40West Arts District, and my work has been exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally.
 
Leah Swenson has been an Artnaut since 2018.
Website: www.leahswenson.com