Talent Leith

Channels:

Art and Design

Genres:

Anime, Art Deco, Art Nouveau, Artistic, Arts and Crafts, Astro Art, Aviation Art, Cartooning, Central American, Collage, Comics, Contemporary, Decorative, Digital Art, Erotica, Ethnographic Art, Evolutionary, Expressionism, Fantastic Realism, Fantasy, Fau

Roles:

Art Director, Artist, Body Painter, Calligrapher, Cartoonist, Ceramicist, Craft Artist, Designer, Doll Artist, Engraver, Fiber Artist, Glass Artist, Goldsmith, Graffiti Artist, Henna Artist, Illustrator - Conceptual, Illustrator - Digital, Illustrator - T

Specialties:

oil paint and charcoal.

Leith O’Malley is a South Australian visual artist.

He has studied under renowned Australian artist and film maker George Gittoes, who has won the prestigious Blake and Wynne Prize for visual art and has also held the position of official Australian War Artist.

He has continued to exhibit in various group and solo exhibitions and created the promotional artwork for not only the Adelaide Jazz Festival but also the first “Rio-Havana-New York” Jazz & Latin Festival held in Moscow in late 2004.

In April of this year (2007), Leith was commissioned by New York Festival Productions to provide the promotional artwork for the prestigious Saratoga Jazz Festival. The event featured prominent musicians like George Benson, India Arie, David Sanborn, Al Green, John Scofield and many more.

Clients who have used Leith’s artwork work have included NY Festival Productions, ”Rio-Havana-New York” Jazz Festival (Moscow), Guenette Production Company (Los Angeles) and Le’Mag Magazine (France).

Leith O’Malley >interview excerpts<

Why are you an artist?
Creativity simply drives me.
I love the act of creating something from nothing really and for some reason the world always seems a better place afterwards. Why am I an artist? It really isn't something I can try and explain in just a few lines but I will say it is an extremely intoxicating, passionate and rewarding act for me which can be both a frustrating and exhilarating journey.
Brett Whiteley nailed it when he called it "a difficult pleasure".
Could you tell me some more about your art?
I'll try…
It seems to be evolving although I'm not sure where it is all leading at times. I like to move between various mediums but have a fondness for oil. I like to express parts of my own personality or interests within my paintings. I am fairly isolated from metropolitan art circles and am certainly not influenced by art trends. I tend to lean towards a figurative expression of some kind in my work and employ a sort of 'to thine own self be true' approach to what I do and paint.
You seem to enjoy working in different mediums using such things as oils, pastels and digital mediums. Do you just like variety or are there other reasons for the changes in medium?
I generally get a little stagnant or bored with my own work if I stay in the same place too long, so I like to keep moving. Also, some of my ideas simply call for a particular medium. My love of illustration and graphic art often draws me back to the line orientated mediums such as charcoal, pastel or even the computer since I use an electronic pen and tablet for some of my design or preliminary sketches these days. Experiment I say!
The trick is being able to retain your own style throughout the medium changes and knowing the limitations. Like music, I have a broad appreciation of many different forms of art and thankfully don't have that blinkered approach where everything needs to be categorised, or you must stick to what you do best. I just let art lead me in all sorts of interesting directions and personally, I get just as much enjoyment out of looking at Robert Crumb* cartoons as I do Goya* or Rembrandt*.
On Inspiration
I have produced hundreds of scribbles, sketches, drawings, cartoons and paintings over the years, yet when someone asks me how I come up with ideas for work I tell them I’m really not sure. A truly original idea for a piece of art is always a gift from somewhere else, and you just hope and pray it might happen again.
I have thought about this subject a lot lately, about where inspiration or stream of consciousness comes from.
Sometimes inspiration can be conjured up in other ways. If you surround yourself with material to spark your interest such as favourite artworks, books and music it can often help you get into the right frame of mind to generate an original idea.

On creating art and personal style
I guess that the style of work I do might be described as expressionistic, figurative or even illustrative.
I am not usually trying to approach reality in my work and prefer to use my memory when applying details to a picture. This probably has more to do with my background in cartooning and love of line art illustration than anything else, and is quite indicative of my style and approach to a picture.

On drawing and technique
I draw a lot. It really is the integral foundation of all of my work. Everything starts with the drawing and the happy little accidents or sidetracks which come from that initial train of thought. I often wish I could capture the immediacy and vitality of the original sketch when working in pastel or paint, as it so often get’s lost later in the labour of tone and colour. I also keep sketch books which I fill with ideas, doodles, marks and anecdotes. I usually create a lot of my initial ideas for pictures in willow charcoal or pencil and once happy with that, I’ll use a fixative to ensure there is no melding with the overlayed colours that follow. Occasionally I will purposely leave some of the underlying drawing to “peek through” a picture just to give the piece a sense of history or effect.

What are your working methods, how do gather your ideas eg. through a journal, drawings, collecting info etc.?

I don’t have a standard routine for producing art but I do keep artist notebooks and sketchbooks which are filled with ideas, preliminary sketches and observations. Some paintings have come about through perusing these at later dates or using certain motifs or ideas I noted earlier but in a different context than originally planned.
Usually my work is topical in that I really have to be close to the content in some way and can’t paint for paintings sake. This slows me down a little as I concentrate on one or two paintings at a time. The Red Dust Girl series was an exception of course, being four paintings in progress at any one time.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I need to be inspired for the whole creativity process to take place and for me to be happy with a concept and eventually the final painting. I like my work to be as original as possible so source material is really what I call stuff which inspires me. This can be anything from music, personal situations or through looking at other artists work. I have a large collection of art history books, music magazines and graphic art magazines. I have a broad appreciation of illustrators and artists from all over the world and love looking at the work of Brad Holland, Ashley Wood, Martin French and many unknown artists I find on the internet. Closer to home there is the art of Brett Whiteley, Gary Shead and Gordon Richards. Vincent, Modigliani, Goya and Jean Michael Basquiat will always be of great interest.

As far as method or process goes, I usually try to map out my initial rough drawing onto large (primed) pre stretched canvas in willow charcoal. I wipe the charcoal line back slightly and fix it with a spray fixative. Sometimes I use an oil pastel for early line art and wipe it back with turps. Another lesser-known transfer method I use is a women’s eyeliner pencil which blends well as it already contains an oil element within it.

Because I sometimes use collage pieces in my work I glue any pieces on with strong araldite and add painted washes or medium later. I collaged brushes, matches, pencil shavings and even a broken CD of Miles Davis onto the “Talking to the Muses about Art” canvas during the course of that painting.

From here on in it’s all basic oil painting.. starting with darker tonal areas of shadow and working up to the lighter shades. I tend to favour a warm palette so Alizarin Crimson and Cad Yellow feature heavily. Washes of Burnt Sienna are also common features of my paintings in recent times along with the use of a medium Windsor & Newton produce called liquin. There are lots of little decisions along the way until I’m happy with it and I try to avoid that overworked look as best I can. The paintings take days to weeks to complete, as I need layers of wash to dry in some parts of the paintings before going in over the top again.

You seem to enjoy working in different mediums using such things as oils, pastels and digital mediums. Do you just like variety or are there other reasons for the changes in medium?
I generally get a little stagnant or bored with my own work if I stay in the same (place) medium too long, so I like to keep moving. Also, some of my ideas simply call for a particular mediums application. My love of illustration and graphic art often draws me back to the line orientated mediums such as charcoal, pastel or the computer. Experiment I say..
The trick is being able to retain your own style throughout the medium changes and knowing the limitations. Like music, I have a broad appreciation of many different forms of art and thankfully don't have that blinkered approach where everything needs to be categorised, or you must stick to what you do best. I just let art lead me in all sorts of interesting directions and get just as much enjoyment out of looking at Robert Crumb* stuff as I do Goya* or Rembrandt* for instance.
What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?
I'm inspired all the time and am always filling up little art notebooks with ideas for paintings. The inspiration behind a lot of my work comes from wanting to express something within myself and usually associated with the things I love (or dislike) about life or have experienced. Some are metaphor, others more obvious. Music is big influence and of course.. emotion plays it's part.
I keep motivated by looking at other people's art or by (as mentioned) changing mediums. I just really love all aspects of creating art so motivation isn't too much of an issue.
So whats in your studio at the moment?

Chaos. No not really.
I'm preparing a series of large paintings for an Adelaide gallery which represents me down in Melbourne Street. Part of the SALA (South Australian Living Artists) festival that’s happening around the state during August.
They are just works in progress at the moment but slowly and surely they are taking shape. Last time it was the “Red Dust Girl” series, this time its a series of several paintings titled 'Caffeine Girls'.. quite large oil on canvas portraits of intriguing women and birds of all things..
There’s still a way to go on each of the paintings but they are quite vibrant and interesting in a tactile and melancholic kind of way. I also have two other large oils which will be shipped off to a Paddington (Sydney) gallery very shortly.

Birds?
Yes, there’s a different type of bird included somewhere in each of the portraits.
I have these incredible little New Zealand Honey Eaters nesting in my studio roof each year. They’re great company scratching away in the ceiling as I paint, and naturally one of them has made an appearance in at least one of the latest paintings.

What is this new series “Caffeine Girls” all about?
Actually, I had a tentative title of “Café Girls” after the first two paintings were started but like most things, as it develops it takes on a life of it’s own.
The inclusion of the birds initially was to reflect or mirror the figures personality, but that’s not necessarily the case now in the later paintings.
Although it sounds a little strange, sometimes I feel like a painting is telling me what it wants rather than the other way around. It’s not always obvious even during the painting cycle what is going to reveal itself. You have a plan but a lot happens along the way. It’s an exciting part of the process.

Look, I don’t want to bore you with some long winded philosophical explanation about these new works as I really like it to be up to the viewer on what it is or might represent.
What I will say is that when I look at these new pieces I see something between the girl and the bird… something…. some mystery or something unsaid.
It may appear unsettling in one yet very subtle or innocent in another. This undercurrent appeals to me… creating something celebrating beauty but juxtaposing it with a darker subliminal element. I’ll leave it up to the people visiting the work in the gallery to make conclusions. However having said that, ascetically they are simply nice paintings to look at.

What were your early influences when starting to paint?
I have certainly been inspired and influenced by the many different art movements over the years but like music, my tastes have changed a little in respect to some.. although I have certainly gained from their presence. My earlier work was definitely inspired by Van Gogh, and I still enjoy looking at Vincent’s pictures along with other European painter’s such as Modigliani, Manet and Picasso.
OK, what artists have influenced you the most and why?
I guess this is the name dropping part right? Mmm.. let’s see..
Michael Leunig
For showing me that less really is more. He is able to say so much with so little detail. Definitely an inspiration early on and I'm a sucker for satirical cartoons!
Brett Whiteley
His work helps remind me from time to time to take more risks and think about challenging or engaging the viewer. There's also something about his paintings and also Vincent Van Gogh's which makes me feel somewhat welcomed…like the familiarity of meeting an old friend - I can't quite work out why though. Also showed me that great art can also have a sense of humour!
George Gittoes
Definitely one of Australia's greatest living artists and a little under appreciated. His art workshops many years ago gave me an introduction and insight into art from both sides of the canvas and inspired me to give the brush a more prominent place in the arsenal. Yep, blame George.
Vincent Van Gogh
It's all been said by too many others, but you have to ignore or put to one side the popularity and commercialism to really appreciate his brushmanship.
Contemporary Artists & Illustrators
The internet has opened my eyes to an endless array of known and unknown artists who now influence and excite me the most. these days I get just as much enjoyment from a reasonably unknown artist’s work than that of an experienced and respected artist. I do have some personal favourites and notable influences though. I adore the illustrative work of American artists Brad Holland, Joe Sorren and the digital art of Canadian Chet Phillips. Some other gems include Australian illustrator Shaun Tan, Brad Holland, Blaine Fontana, Jack Unruh, Natalie Shau, Sterling Hundley, John Puglisi, Ami Rice and Banksy to name a few..
I don't know how to broach questions concerning art vs. illustration, mainly because illustrator friends of mine sometimes get offended. Its an old argument. Do you find that an issue with your work? The blurring of boundaries between art and illustration?
I love blurring the boundaries. It used to worry me a bit coming from a drawing background and working mainly with line. I’ve since found out there are no rules. I can get knocked out just as much by a spot illustration in a magazine as I can by a four-foot canvas. It all depends on what you’re looking for.
I have to be careful though. With music for example, I can sometimes get caught up listening to what the horn player or piano is doing on a track and miss the whole point…you know what I mean? You can get too close to it. I think that’s what happens when I look at magazine illustration. I’m often thinking “now is that oil pastel or dry brush there?” or “ how did they get that shadow effect on the text.. and what font is that?” I sometimes can’t help myself. So personally, I don’t think there is an issue with it.
I still swing from pen, pastel and ink to brush and rag…whatever suits the piece I’m working on. To make matters even more complicated, I also do a lot of digital art and illustration.
I’ve noticed a circus motive is a recurring theme in your old paintings and drawings.. those floating tents, melancholy clowns and your use of strong colour and stripes? Can you talk about that?

It’s just something that resonates with me. A strange attraction I suppose.
My Dad was a traveling musician in the circus and although I was too young to know, I traveled to every state in Australia with Mum, Dad and my brothers and sister. So maybe it’s a subliminal thing.
To this day I love being around any visiting circus.. that carnival spirit.. it really fascinates me, and naturally comes back to town in my work from time to time.

So you have a musical upbringing, does music inspire you?

Oh yes, for sure. Its one of many things that informs my work.
That’s an obvious thing to say I know, but it's true. How can you not be inspired by music? There’s a wonderful line from Laura Veirs “love of colour, sound and verse, is it a blessing.. or a curse”. It’s true.. a double edged sword, but the pen is mightier.. well so they say.
So yeah, I grew up listening to so much music, a real education.. it’s been a constant force all of my life in one form or another. Everyone in my family plays instruments and sings, and I’m seldom far from it these days particularly in my studio where I paint. It can be so emotive and certainly part of the arsenal when painting.
Art and music.. not a bad cocktail I would say. Same again thanks!

Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

I was pretty pleased to have many of my jazz inspired works featured in the advertising and promotion of the “Rio-Havana-New York” Jazz Festival held in Moscow a few years ago. Being a big jazz fan I got a big kick out of that.
(View at: http://www.leithomalley.com/moscow2.htm)

Also my jazz series “Jazz is Art, Art is Jazz” has proved very popular with the public and several companies who have used the images in some way.
(View at: http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=16014)

I’m getting a lot of feedback from people all over the world about my online drawing tutorial too, so that’s been worthwhile.
(View at: http://www.wacom-asia.com/community/procorner/artist/walkthrough.php)

I also created the cover artwork for the Big Day Out issue of “DB Magazine” in February. Big Day Out Founder and Organisor Ken West actually rang me to arrange a print to hang in his Sydney office, and said he is keen to use my services in some way for future events.

What about your latest success.. that New York festival.. what’s that about?

Oh yes, of course…I was recently commissioned by New York’s Festival Productions Inc to produce the promotional artwork for the 30th Anniversary Saratoga Jazz Festival being held in Saratoga Springs, New York. It happens in late June.

For that I reworked and combined two of my paintings of jazz musicians. The design will feature heavily in the concert promotions including brochures and the very collectable thirtieth anniversary concert t-shirts! I’m quietly excited over that one mainly because it is a major US jazz festival with a line-up including musicians like George Benson, India Arie, David Sanborn, Al Green, John Scofield, Roy Hargrove, Ravi Coltrane, Troy Haynes, Jean-Luc Ponty to name a few…
A long way from knocking up posters for the local music event “Club Sessions” many moons ago at Souths football club in Whyalla.
New York? It’s a small world mate.

Let’s talk more about your paintings. I really liked that series of work you created called “The Red Dust Girl”.. the one based on the four seasons which you exhibited a year or two ago. The girl in red seems to be floating in the landscape. What was the idea behind those paintings?

Thanks. For Red Dust Girl I was trying to convey a sense of living in a regional area or a situation far from the influence of a metropolitan city. I wanted it to reflect a celebration of outback Australia, of the people living there each day of their lives and of the purity or innocence that can be found in such a seemingly baron and harsh landscape.

You know, painting can sometimes be a very individual pursuit or in my case an infatuation, so I also wanted that series to express the joy of being alone or separated.. and of the contentment in that individualism. How change or at least as metaphor can be a good thing, and doesn’t necessarily need to change us as individuals.

I knew that having a young girl or woman in the picture would be the perfect vehicle to present this idea. I’m not sure how the “floating” concept came about but it certainly fitted the context of “separation” and when I mapped it out initially it just looked right. I decided that nothing in each of the four paintings would touch the ground and that the earth beneath her feet would remain unchanged through the seasons.

Your painting “Talking to the Muses about Art” is another interesting piece and quite contemporary with a lot of text in the background.. are they your words?

Yes. The text in the background of the Muses painting is a sort of tone poem in my own words. It’s called “Paint On” and is reproduced in full on my website. It expresses the struggle to paint and the obsession with wanting to keep painting or “paint on through” any problem or stumbling block, no matter what.
I scraped the text into the paint with my fingers, stick and a brush handle. They represent my thoughts and an imagined conversation with Bret Whiteley, Basquiat and Van Gogh.. who happen to be the figures in the picture.
Finally Leith, what advice would you give to an artist just starting out?
I would suggest forgetting about trying to be a famous artist. Just focus on doing good original artwork and building up a body of work (portfolio) which you can be proud of.
I would also recommend putting this portfolio online so you can refer anyone to it rather than carting your actual work around to galleries or publishers. Use myspace, deviant art or any of the other free portfolio based sites to promote yourself… it doesn’t necessarily cost you an arm and a leg to begin with.
Engulf yourself in art. Learn more about it and be open to all forms of it. Dismiss nothing unless you are informed enough about it to have an opinion. Study traditional and contemporary art styles and different mediums. Start to believe in yourself and trust your instincts. Be critical of your own work and learn how to take criticism from others.
Most important, remember there are not better artists, just better publicists.
Oh yes, and find like-minded souls to share your frustrations with!

Figurative expressionism.

* In recent years Leith has produced the promotional artwork for the Adelaide Jazz Festival, The Newcastle Jazz Festival and also the “Rio-Havana-New York” Jazz Festival (Moscow).

* Has been a feature artist for Artists Pallette magazine along with work published in Le Mag (France) and Art World News. His jazz art series “Jazz is Art, Art is Jazz” features on many online international jazz sites including allaboutjazz.com (USA), jazzitalia.net (Italy), jazzpages.com (Germany), polishjazz.com (Poland) and the Saatchi Gallery (United Kingdom). Wacom
(makers of graphic tablets) are also currently featuring an illustration tutorial of Leiths work on their Asia Pacific website.

* Produced the cover art for db magazines “Big Day Out” issue 2007. Big Day Out Promoter/Head Honcho Ken West was quick to contact Leith and arrange the purchase of the original digital artwork which now hangs in his office.

* Currently commissioned by Festival Productions Inc. of New York to create the promotional brochure and T-Shirt artwork for the 33rd anniversary of the prestigious “New York Friehofer’s Jazz Festival” to be held in Saratoga, New York State in June 2007. The festival line-up includes Al Green, George Benson, India Arie, David Sanborn, Ravi Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie All Star
Band and many more.

oil paint and charcoal.

Brett Whiteley, Basquiat, Robert Crumb, Shaun Tan and contemporary art & illustration.