Like many visual artists, Steve Leadbeater has been drawing for as long as he can remember, and exhibiting since the early ‘90s. For over 20 years, Leadbeater has worked as a graphic designer, gaining a deep understanding of visual communication. His work is driven by contrasts – identity and anonymity, sensitivity and brutality, spirit and form; reflecting the immense power, vulnerability and mystery of being human – while retaining a playful naivety.
Expressive mark making imbues Leadbeater’s work with a kind of wild energy, important to convey raw emotion. Leadbeater’s work aims to connect with people, and to capture the energy of his creative process. For Leadbeater, creating art is a cathartic experience of getting lost in a ritual of the senses, flashes of shapes and colours pass through him like music and the aromas of paint and incense hang in the air. Believing in the vital role of the viewer experience, a work is not complete until someone else has encountered it.
