Hello and Welcome!

My quest to find balance began early, and through every stage of my life, art has been my saving grace.

A child of divorce forced me to figure out how to behave in two totally different and oftentimes opposing environments. Dad was not a rule follower!  He was a free spirited out of the box thinker who taught me how to break the rules and carve my own path. Mom on the other hand was the epitome of etiquette. She kept a stable home where I NEVER broke the rules, only bent them a little, if and when it was absolutely necessary.

When going into college I struggled to rectify the two different parts of my personality. When trying to pick a course of study, I greatly enjoyed and excelled in both math/science and in art, so, should I be an engineer or artist?  Defining my own personal style was just as perplexing.  Should I dress like the free-spirited bohemian or the well dressed tailored professional woman? Both of which I loved greatly!

In my 20’s and 30’s I wrestled with any more dualistic personality traits:  How can I be both a driven “Type A” working entrepreneur and a very nurturing “Type B” stay at home mom? How can I be perceived by some as having very masculine traits, yet by others to be extremely feminine? How can I be both an introvert and an extrovert? How can I be so emotional yet at the same time be so logical and analytical? How can I be both a perfectionist and at times a free spirit without a care in the world?  

It wasn’t until my mid 40’s when confronted with divorce, and estrangement from my children, was I forced to rectify all the opposing factions of my personality. I turned to art and alternative healing therapies and work my way through this abyss. I gave myself permission to create art however it presented itself to me. To feel my way through my creative practice, and allow myself the grace to be fully present with all aspects of my personality. 

Now in my 50s I allow myself to create the art that encompasses it all. Thirty years of realism turned now into dualistic abstractions. At times, I create intuitively with bold organic swishes, and other times with planned logical geometric patterns and designs. Designs that incorporate both the light and the dark, that feel both chaotic and yet controlled. Compositions that incorporate both smooth and textured surfaces that resonate with strength and vulnerability, that feel in control yet free at the same time.  

My creations are an attempt to find balance through the study of duality. By creating my 2D and 3D organic and geometric art, I find a sense of peace within my spirit, as if I am reclaiming all the lost or broken pieces of my soul and reassembling them in an orderly and balanced fashion, hence the name of this collection: Calming Chaos. 

I hope you find as much peace in my pieces, as I did while making them. 

Namaste.

- Erin Leigh