Artist Leigh Herndon At INSPIRATIONS ARTISTS & DESIGN GALLERY 5450 B Shirley Street

About The Artist

Leigh’s award winning mysterious rozome paintings tell a story, evoke an emotion, or give an impression and lend themselves to metaphor, and sometimes ambiguity. By being atmospheric and not too literal, the viewer is left to ponder and complete the story based on personal experiences.

The fluidity of applying color with dyes continues to captivate Leigh as she continues to push the limits of dyeing. Rozome (Japanese kimono design wax-resist dye painting) is more flexible and painterly than other methods and presents a new fluidity to the dye process which is captivating to Leigh and changed her creative process and is perfect for interpreting the beauty and mystery of nature.

After learning traditional batik at the University of Montana and earning a Master of Fine Arts in Fibers at Southern Illinois University, Leigh studied with a rozome expert who had studied under the kimono artists in Japan for many years. Mixing dye colors from the primaries results in custom colors that can’t easily be found elsewhere. Overlaying one transparent dye color over another creates an entirely new color, so the painting is constantly evolving and is created in several layers. The versatility of hot wax used in creating the designs lends unique textures to the creations.

For Leigh the design process is a blend of planning, spontaneity, and experimentation with a great interest in the inter-relationship of edges of shapes within the designs. Frequently the process begins with a drawing on the silk and evolves with ideas that occur while working.

Leigh’s paintings and wearable art has been exhibited in numerous juried exhibitions and international shows and her work is in several private collections. Recently 6 of her paintings were selected for the set of the international TV series Criminal Minds.