Melbourne Based Figurative Artist Leah Mariani

I’m a figurative artist making art about identity. I draw on my experience as a woman and a mother, and resultantly most of my work is about childhood and womanhood. These five works are from my most recent series called Made With Love. They are inspired by my sons as I watch them grow from children into teenagers. I want to capture their childhood innocence before they enter adolescence. I predominately use photos as reference material, my sons do not sit still for very long. As you would expect, this series is ongoing and a continuous work in progress.

I have an interest in pattern and include it in nearly all my work. I like the flat, decorative element it adds as well as the sense of order it conveys. In the past I have used stencils, screen printing and collage to create pattern in my artwork. The patterned backgrounds in my most recent works are created using homemade rubber stamps, which are printed onto timber panels. I enjoy the immediacy of handmade stamps. The imperfections convey a sense of carefree informality that I associate with children’s artwork.

I love portraiture. Faces and hands are my favourite things to paint. While my backgrounds are often painted in acrylic paint, the figures are completed in oils. Although I am not tied to any one medium, I predominately work in oils.

Over the past decade, I have had a number of solo exhibitions in Australia and been shortlisted for a number of prestigious local awards. I work out of my tiny home studio in Melbourne, where I live with my husband, sons and dog.

You can see the whole series on my website at: https://www.leahmariani.com/madewithlove

“Boy Senza Pearl” Acrylic and oil on wooden panel.

“Day Dreamer” Acrylic and oil on wooden panel.

“Green ninja” Acrylic and oil on wooden panel.

“Some Days” Acrylic and oil on wooden panel.