GETTING TO KNOW:
ROSIE LEECH
Hi Rosie!
Congratulations on being shortlisted
for the Cluster Residency 2021!
How would you introduce yourself to the Cluster readers?
I’m an illustrator, designer and ceramicist currently living in the UK.
My work is created using both digital and analogue processes,
this includes traditional printmaking, handbuilding with porcelain
and drawing. I tend towards small and precise creations
which are almost always rooted in narrative..
How did you get here on your creative journey?
I went through a lot of exploratory drawings, stacks of sketches,
prints and ceramics samples, which didn’t end up going anywhere
and then slowly learning to pick out the good ideas!
Squash Grower | Village Fete Prize Winners project
The Distance Of The Moon | Sketches
What drew you to illustration?
Stories. I started off thinking I was going to go into theatre costume,
which is approaching narrative from a slightly different angle
but it drew me into thinking about interpreting text in a creative way.
This fascinated me. During my foundation course I switched to Illustration and went on to study the Illustration BA (Hons)
at Edinburgh College of Art.
One Inch Etchings
Tell us about the work you submitted…
There’s work here from a few different projects, mostly printmaking based. Inch Etchings is based on a series of observational drawings
I did over a couple of months, recording small transient everyday moments. The Village Fete Prize Winners consists of a series
of two risographs named Squash Grower and Onion Grower,
and was published in an issue of the wonderful risograph journal Counterpoint. The Distance of the Moon is an interpretation
of a fantastically surreal short story of the same name by Italo Calvino. Chance Encounter is a silent comic that I worked on this year following the fleeting interaction of a pigeon and a commuter at a train station.
How would you describe your creative style and way of working?
I’m quite methodical, I’ve always been fascinated
by the processes involved when working with different materials, particularly with printmaking and porcelain.
A lot of my illustrations come from one very small initial idea, a snippet of conversation or a word out of context.
I let that idea run and the characters emerge,
until the idea feels formed enough to start developing.
Etching
Keywords to define your imagery?
Narrative-based, quiet, careful.
Chance Encounter One
Ceramics
Social media and you: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Tell us all…
I was rather late to the game on the social media front and I’ve always been quite sporadic with it. I think it can be a wonderful way to share work and connect with other creatives, but often feels like an unnecessary popularity contest. Any time I start to make work for social media
I know it’s time to step back!
What gets you out of bed in the morning?
I always have lots of porcelain experiments on the go, I’m working
with various coloured slips at the moment which need to sit for different lengths of time - so I have to get up to tend to them all!
That or the cat waking me up to demand her breakfast...
Solo
Who are your idols?
Sophie Blackall, a fabulous illustrator, her book Missed Connections
has been an inspiration to me for many years.
Jon McNaught is one of my favourite printmakers: his silent comics
never fail to amaze me!
In the craft sphere I admire Sophie Sellu of Grain and Knot.
She makes the most beautiful carved timber objects, which are fantastic
examples of working with the natural properties of a material.
I also look for inspiration in books and films. Bertie Gilbert’s short films
are brilliant, the use of colour and pacing is incredible. I’ve been reading
a lot of David Mitchell, his books are so densely packed with strange
characters and the minutiae of life, the things that can be hard to see sometimes.
What’s on your creative calendar for the near future?
I’ve got a few comics I’m developing and I’m working
on my own children’s picture book. I’m enjoying gearing my work towards a different audience. I’m also just about to launch
a new ceramics range which I’ve been developing for the last couple
of months. It’s been an absolute joy to work on,
so I am really looking forward to getting it out there!
The Beautiful Red Reefs
Personal motto/mantra?
The smallest thing might be just what’s needed to inspire a new project - take note!
The Distance Of The Moon
Chance Encounter Two
Tips, tricks and secrets for making it
in the art world?
Reaching out to editors, publishers and art directors
can feel extremely daunting but it’s absolutely worth doing, and just one positive response could
be the opportunity to turn everything around.
Works by Rosie Leech are available through the Cluster shop.
Thank you for reading,
Valeria, Daniel & Cluster Team.
You can find Rosie also on:
Instagram & her website