Works
Artist Bio
Leah Woods is an artist working primarily with wood building functional and non-functional objects. Having received her MFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2000, she designed and built one-of-a-kind furniture before transitioning to explore conceptual and sculptural objects. Over the years, she has built several bodies of work including: A Personal Wardrobe-Cabinets investigating clothing and the female form, Footloose- A Series of Cabinets for High-Heeled Shoes, Structure- An investigation of Mannequins and Dress Forms, and Navigation- An exploration of autobiographical maps. Leah is also an Associate Professor of Art at University of New Hampshire where she teaches woodworking and furniture design as well as one of the lead instructors teaching woodworking at the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women.
Artist's Statement
My current body of work explores large, volumetric forms constructed out of individual, small pieces of wood. Using the woodworking technique of bent lamination, I create individual, curved shapes, and cooper them or bolt them together. Bent lamination allows a piece of wood to appear soft and gentle along its curve, while coopering allows volumes to be formed with precise edges and flat facets. These techniques when used together create shapes that are fixed and yet fluid at the same time.
It is within these opposing forces, fixed versus fluid, controlled versus naturally occurring, that each of my sculptures exists. I create patterns with shape, color, curve, and line. The patterns are derived from a variety of sources ranging from crazy quilt patterns with their seemingly random, but intentional composition, to the mathematical patterns found in nature, that can often look imprecise or even arbitrary at first glance. The fractal patterns in leaves, the meandering lines of a river, and the overlapping scales of fish are some examples of the mathematical patterns that I use to generate form and texture. By intentionally creating patterns that are designed to appear almost arbitrary, I hope to echo a feeling of naturally occurring shapes without referencing any one plant, landscape, or object.
