Jess Leonard

Rosie and Rosamund – Tail Talk

$400.00

Rosie and Rosamund – cheek to cheek

$230.00

Rosie and Rosamund – Top and Tail

$230.00

Jess Leonard is a Sydney based emerging artist in the genre of photography. Jess’s practice investigates the life and death of birds and animals arousing morbid curiosities whilst exploring the beauty in what has passed on. Jess graduated from Sydney College of the Arts, a faculty of Sydney University, majoring in photo media and receiving the Deans University Award for her year.

Since then she has continued to work in the arts industry and has made the finals of numerous prizes and awards including The Prohart Outback Award, The Stanthorpe Art Prize, The Percival Photographic Art Prize, Prospect Portrait Prize, Lethbridge 20000 and also received a Highly Commended in the Lethbridge Landscape Art Awards and the Ravenswood Australian Womens Art Prize Emerging Artist.

Artist Statement

Museum, roadside and animal specimens are explored within my practice. The photographs engage with conflicting processes of death and collectively navigate the many forms of decomposition and the methods of preservation put in place to defy it.

My works play on the boundaries and tensions between the beautiful and the grotesque and through these specimens of decay I attempt to explore life. My subjects although deceased possess a life and personality of their own and I hope to capture this through the lens as I endeavor in my own way to give them life again.

'Fredrick’s Song' by JESS LEONARD is ON SALE NOW with free packing and shipping Australia Wide! photograph printed on textured rag paper framed under glass, ed 2 of 5 25 x 25cm framed size was $ 230.00 SALE PRICE $ 185.00

Artist CV

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 Finalist The Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, Townsville
2021 Finalist The Prospect Portrait Prize, Newmarch Gallery SA
2021 Finalist Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Award
2021 Finalist Reimagine Art Prize, Hornsby
2021 Finalist Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize – Emerging
2021 Highly Commended Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Queensland
2021 The Birds Group Exhibition, traffic jam galleries Sydney
2020 Finalist Tony White Memorial Art Prize, Arts in the Valley Kangaroo Valley
2020 Finalist The Little Things Art Prize, Saint Cloche gallery, Sydney
2020 Finalist Stanthorpe Art Prize, Queensland
2020 Finalist Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award, Queensland
2020 Untitled. 2020 Group Exhibition, traffic jam galleries Sydney
2019 Finalist Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, Broken Hill
2019 Finalist Banyule Works on paper – Emerging, Victoria
2019 Brunswick Small Works, Brunswick Street Gallery, Victoria
2019 Finalist Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award
2019 Highly Commended in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize – Emerging
2018 Finalist Kangaroo Valley Arts Prize
2016 University of Sydney Deans Award Winner SCA 2016

AWARDS
2022 Finalist The Percival Photographic Portrait Prize, Townsville
2021 Finalist Northern Beaches Environmental Art and Design Award
2021 Finalist Reimagine Art Prize, Hornsby
2021 Finalist The Prospect Portrait Prize, Newmarch Gallery SA
2021 Finalist Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize – Emerging
2021 Highly Commended Lethbridge Landscape Prize, Queensland
2020 Finalist Tony White Memorial Art Prize, Arts in the Valley Kangaroo Valley
2020 Finalist The Little Things Art Prize, Saint Cloche gallery, Sydney
2020 Finalist Stanthorpe Art Prize, Queensland
2020 Finalist Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award, Queensland
2019 Finalist Pro Hart Outback Art Prize, Broken Hill
2019 Finalist Banyule Works on paper – Emerging, Victoria
2019 Brunswick Small Works, Brunswick Street Gallery, Victoria
2019 Finalist Lethbridge 20,000 Small Scale Art Award
2019 Highly Commended in the Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize – Emerging
2018 Finalist Kangaroo Valley Arts Prize
2016 University of Sydney Deans Award Winner SCA 2016

EDUCATION
2016 Bachelor of Visual Arts University of Sydney, Collage of the Arts major in Photo media

The Birds

We are excited to present our opening exhibition for 2021 a group thematic show titled THE BIRDS. Participating artists present their own interpretations and responses to this subject. On a two and three dimensional level the works range from the playful and irreverent through to macabre and nightmarish. The subject is presented through a range of mediums such as steel, ceramics, acrylic and oil paint, digital, pen, ink and charcoal.