Bring your own interpretation to my drawings, they may mean different things to you on different days, however people like to know what it meant to me. My daughter spent her first holiday away from her family recently, so this was representative of her moving away from us both emotionally and physically, it also represents my mixed emotions, she has not been an easy teenager so it’s often nice not to have her around but I still miss her.
Other times when I look at it it I want to leave ‘me’ behind, escape from my worries and concerns, to be able to drift and not be always frantically paddling.
If you are interested in purchasing an artwork please go to my Contact Page for T&C's and payment options.
Most of my work is also advertised in other online galleries and many of them stipulate that work cannot be priced lower on other sites, however, because galleries take a commission the prices shown below are open to negotiation.
For example some of my work is available through Rise Art: https://www.riseart.com/artist/4952/kirstyol
Some of my artwork can be purchased as a print from saatchi online, https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/295636
If a piece you like has already been sold you can commission me to draw something similar.
Photographing drawings is difficult, the backgrounds come out all shades of grey, however they are all pencil on 'white'. I can email more photos of a particular piece on request.
"O’Leary Leeson's intricate and mesmerising drawings show an incredible skill in draftsmanship. Even the white of the page is encompassed into her compositions with her proficient drawing technique."
Victoria Heald - Rise Art Curator
I am Light and Dust
Pencil on gesso primed wood: 51 x 40 cm
£500
We are made from the stuff of stars. Stars and sky, ocean and earth, we are all one.
It's Where the Light Gets In
Pencil on gesso primed wood: 61 x 42 cm
£500
Inspired by the lyrics from 'Anthem' by Leonard Cohen
Don't dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Across Oceans of Time
Pencil on gesso primed wood: 24.5 x 34.5 cm Hanging in the Paradoxes exhibition at Quay Arts, Newport, Isle of Wight
£650 SOLD from 12th March to 7th May
Inspired by the Poem 'Burnt Norton' by T S Eliot: can we ever really touch the still point of the turning world, when all is movement, where the past and future are gathered, there is both a new world and the old made explicit.
How do we live in the present moment while everything is in constant flux, the present is already becoming the past and the past can feel more present than the immediate.
Oceans of Time
Pencil on gesso primed wood, 35 x 46 cm
£500
Pencil on gesso primed wood, 35 x 46 cm
£500
Inspired by the Poem 'Burnt Norton' by T S Eliot: can we ever really touch the still point of the turning world, when all is movement, where the past and future are gathered, there is both a new world and the old made explicit.
How do we live in the present moment while everything is in constant flux, the present is already becoming the past and the past can feel more present than the immediate.
Bloodstream
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 51 x 42 cm
£150
The shadow of the tree roughly follows the human body's circulatory system
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 51 x 42 cm
£150
The shadow of the tree roughly follows the human body's circulatory system
The Light Of The Ones Who Came Before
Pencil on gesso primed wood; 49 x 73.5
£700
The background is uniformly white, the grey tinge is purely a problem with the photography
SOLD
Even after family members have left us their absence has a physical, emotional and genetic presence that is part of our present whilst also anchoring us to our past and reaching into our future
The Light You Leave
Pencil on gesso primed wood; 30 x 30 x 1 cm
£400
Framed with glass
This drawing explores the seeming contradiction of absence having a weight and presence
SOLD
Where When Lingers
Pencil on gesso primed wood, protective acrylic lacquer; 46 x 35 x 1 cm
£600
£600
Framed - no glass SOLD
The Rest Is Memory
Pencil on Paper
Collected by the Jiangsu Museum of Arts and Crafts, Nanjing, China
The Rest is Memory
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 40 x 40 cm
£150
I rarely draw on paper, the first version which was collected by the Jiangsu Museum of Arts and Crafts was on cartridge paper, I wanted to see how the drawing would work on the super smooth surface of Bristol Board paper. Although I have completed 3 drawings on this paper, I shall not be doing any further drawings on that particular substrate.
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 40 x 40 cm
£150
I rarely draw on paper, the first version which was collected by the Jiangsu Museum of Arts and Crafts was on cartridge paper, I wanted to see how the drawing would work on the super smooth surface of Bristol Board paper. Although I have completed 3 drawings on this paper, I shall not be doing any further drawings on that particular substrate.
Sunlight Glances
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 41 x 36 cm
£150
This was an experiment to see how my sea drawings worked on Bristol Board super smooth paper, hence the low selling price.
Pencil on Bristol Board Paper; 41 x 36 cm
£150
This was an experiment to see how my sea drawings worked on Bristol Board super smooth paper, hence the low selling price.
Stealing the Light From the Sun (paper version)
Pencil on paper
Collected by Yantai Art Museum, Yantai City, China
Pencil on paper
Collected by Yantai Art Museum, Yantai City, China
Receding Light
Pencil on gesso primed wood, protective acrylic lacquer; 40 x 29 cm
£300
Framed - no glass
Deap Seas of Cloud
Pencil on gesso primed wood, protective acrylic lacquer; 33.5 x 30 cm
SOLD
Framed - no glass
Never Mine To Keep
Pencil on gesso primed wood, protective acrylic lacquer; 73 x 57 cm (framed - no glass)
£1200 SOLD
As family members are separated by time and distance we still feel and are aware of their presence.
A Storm Gathers
Pencil on gesso primed wood; 40 x 40 cm
£200
Bloodstream
Pencil on gesso primed wood
SOLD
Molten Light
Pencil on gesso primed wood; 73 x 66 cm
Private Commission
To Kiss The Sunlight SOLD
Wood, gesso, pencil; 74 x 52cm
£1400
Songs of Distant Memory
Wood, gesso, pencil, protective acrylic lacquer; 77 x 61 cm
£600
SOLD
Out of the Light
Pencil on gesso primed wood; 34 x 27 cm
Commissioned by The Madison Museum of Fine Art, USA. Public Collection
Out of the Light,
A sublime hymn to master draftsmanship, this exquisite pencil drawing adds new technique to the history of drawing. Contrary to convention since antiquity, the artist rejects the practice of drawing on paper since the textured surface becomes part of the image. Rather she applies pencil to a highly polished gessoed wooden board so the viewer can focus solely on the image. Using a hard #14 pencil, she builds her images with tiny marks embedded in the gesso. The result is a glittering ocean surface image that confuses light and water at the horizon, suggesting a physical and spiritual illumination.
Madison Museum of Fine Art
Madison Museum of Fine Art
The Space Between Us (diptych)
Wood, gesso, pencil, protective acrylic lacquer; 27x 31cm
£400 (framed)
Stealing The Light From The Sun III
Wood, gesso, pencil; 52 x 72 cm
Private Commission
Stealing The Light From The Sun III
Private Commission
In Amidst II SOLD
Wood, gesso, pencil; 50.5 x 60.5 cm
£500
In the centre of the drawing is a leaf, the rest is all shadows. For most of us only a fraction of our perception of our life is centred in the present, for the shadows of past experiences and expectations of the future envelope and effect our present.
" Besides its beauty this painting reminds us to be in the present and cherish the moment." quote from purchaser
Melancholy Strings (Triptych) SOLD
Wood, gesso, pencil; 33 x 30 cm (each section)
£1000
Life doesn’t fade to black it’s simply lost from view.
Melancholy Strings (detail of 1st picture)
Melancholy Strings (detail of middle picture)
Melancholy Strings (detail of 3rd picture)
This set of drawings should really be a quadtych really with the fourth being completely white, the light through the trees growing brighter, bleaching life away.
It is inspired by something that happened a few years ago: my little daughter was sitting on the arm of the sofa when she fell off backwards banging her head on a stool that was nearby; she really screamed but I wasn’t unduly worried, children make such a huge fuss, then she put her hand to the back of her head and when she pulled it away blood was pouring down onto her wrist - at that moment I was flooded with scenes from films or tv which use the common scenario of someone being knocked or falling over and it seems innocuous enough but then they put their hand to the back of their head to discover it covered in blood, then they promptly and unexpectedly collapse and die.
It made me realise just how much images from todays media are part of our psyche. (By the way my daughter was fine).
I tend to visualise my life in quite a cinematographic way, and this triptych employs the cinematic ploy of the light growing brighter and the characters eyes blurring as their life ebbs away. The title refers to the soundtrack.
Stealing The Light From The Sun II SOLD
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm
On exhibition with The Royal Society of Marine Artists Annual Exhibition 15th - 27th October 2013, Mall Galleries, London SOLD
Memories of Green
Plaster, gesso, pencil; 24 x 26 cm
£100
The Space Between Us (detail of left hand side)
The Space Between Us (detail, right hand side)
Leaving Me
Wood, gesso, pencil; 34 x 27 cm
SOLD
Stealing The Light From The Sun
Wood, gesso, pencil;
SOLD
The Light On The Dark Side Of Me (diptych)
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 68 cm
Public Collection: 21st Century British Artists Collection; Swindon Art Gallery and Museum
Detail from The Light On The Dark Side Of Me
Detail from The Light On The Dark Side Of Me
Relinquish
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm
£150
Are you drifting down into the depths or rising to the light
All at Sea
Wood, gesso, pencil 27 x 34 cm;
Finalist in the Saatchi Drawing Showdown, featured in BBC2 Show Me The Monet
SOLD
The Space You Left Behind
Wood, gesso, pencil; 40.5 x 60.5 cm;
SOLD
You Cannot Have It All
Wood, gesso, pencil; Triptych 20 x 15 cm x 3
£50 SOLD
Never a Forever Thing SOLD
Wood, gesso, pencil; 42 x61 cm
£300
Never A Forever Thing - Miniature (framed)
Private Commission
Vessel
Wood, gesso, pencil;
SOLD
Gathering Storm
Wood, gesso, pencil; 48 x 48 cm
Public Collection: East Contemporary Arts Collection; University Campus Suffolk
Gathering Storm is drawn from the feelings of anxiety felt in anticipation of my daughter becoming a teenager. In the foreground sits a quiet and pastoral landscape, while above chaotic clouds roll onto a once tranquil scene. Both the viewer and the artist as mother, are left to speculate on whether the storm brings rain to nurture the land and just when the sun will break through the clouds.
I had a little girl once
With blue eyes and dark hair
she looked like me
Never was she quiet though
And I looked at her with wonder
At a me that never was
But we pay a price for that bright spirit
And with gathering speed
A storm approaches
Into the Woods
Wood, gesso, pencil; 21 x 19 cm
£200 SOLD
Bound by
Wood, gesso, pencil 27 x 34 cm
SOLD
Wrecked
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm;
SOLD
"The poet lives a daydream that is awake but above all his daydream remains in the world facing worldly things. It gathers the universe together, around and in an object" Bachelard
Shadow Of
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm
£50
WreckedII
Wood, gesso, pencil; 40 x 60 cm,
£150
"The poet lives a daydream that is awake but above all his daydream remains in the world facing worldly things. It gathers the universe together, around and in an object" Bachelard
Midlife Drift
Wood, gesso, pencil 60 x 39 cm
SOLD
Midlife Drift, as the title implies, is an exploration of both physical and mental space. Here, nature is used as a metaphor for a dynamic state of existence.
The Truth That Lies Beneath The Surface Life
Dress, gesso, pencil; Installation view Emergence,
The Truth That Lies Beneath The Surface Life
Dress, gesso, pencil; (Black and white photo of white dress with pencil drawing)
This piece started life when I was reading Sartre, it gave me the idea of fusing layers of reality creating spaces where both appearance and essence can be manifest.
An item of clothing is a superficial phenomenon, but which can also be regarded as a deep surface, a manifestation of the unconscious as a facet of existence, which instead of being hidden is expressed.
The shadows are a reflection of something both beyond and within the person.
I was expressing the idea that as our outward appearance changes, our essence remains, our past is not wiped away by new experiences but becomes part of a whole. I wanted to make space within an object where contemplation is possible.
Sinking Ship
Paper, pencil;
This work informed part of my dissertation 'Mother Dearest' (link below)
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In Amidst
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm (poor photograph, pencil on white gesso)
Collected by Robert Priseman, part of his 21st Century Artists collection which he has made available for loan to museums and galleries and which he has created to promote British artists and http://www.robert-priseman.com/museum-collections/priseman-seabrook-collection-21st-century-british-painting/
In my drawing there is one tiny leaf, this is the moment that we live in, and that present is created and enhanced and given meaning by all that has come before, the shadows of our past and the dreams of the future.
I use trees in my work because it is a universally understood image of representing life, ‘the tree of life’ however I don’t use the whole tree rather just branches, so that it removes the 'mother earth’ connotations, the tree of life tends to be linked to spiritualists, druids, etc, and much though I love hippies, my kids middle names are Rainbow, Sky, Ocean and Moonlight, my images are not related to any particular movement or belief system (I've just spent a week in Glastonbury and it’s an over-used motif).I use trees in my work because it is a universally understood image of representing life, ‘the tree of life’ however I don’t use the whole tree rather just branches, so that it removes the 'mother earth’ connotations, the tree of life tends to be linked to spiritualists, druids, etc, and much though I love hippies, my kids middle names are Rainbow, Sky, Ocean and Moonlight, my images are not related to any particular movement or belief system (I've just spent a week in Glastonbury and it’s an over-used motif). here to edit this text.
Reflecting On
Pencil, gesso, wood; 27 x 34 cm
Collected by Robert Priseman, part of his 21st Century Artists collection which he has made available for loan to museums and galleries and which he has created to promote British artists and http://www.robert-priseman.com/museum-collections/priseman-seabrook-collection-21st-century-british-painting/
And it Goes On
Dot matrix paper, pencil;
£300
Below are images of DayDreaming A Life Facing Worldly Things; My Degree Show Installation, I have added links for the text explaining its creation, the film Vessel which was part of the installation, and my dissertation which is related.
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Daydreaming a life facing worldly things
Drawing and Film Installation; Degree Show 2011
Degree Show Detail
Vessel
Film; Installation view Degree show 2011
Breaking Up (part of 'Day dreaming a life facing worldly things' installation)
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34 cm
Ripples (formed part of the installation 'Daydreaming a life facing worldly things')
Wood, gesso, pencil; 27 x 34cm
£50
Spaces Within (detail from Panamama exhibition)
Box, dress, gesso, ivy, pencil;
Appearance and Being
Leaf, gesso, pencil;
"...We look at the world once, in childhood
The rest is memory...."
A1 Board of sketches for exhibition Art and the Coast
Drawings mounted on A1 Card
In 2008, my first year at Norwich University College of the Arts I was given the project ‘My Space’. Well my space was anywhere my four children were not, escaping from my house, washing up, the kids and chaos etc. My space was literally time to be alone in my own head usually when taking the dog out for a walk. I started drawing lots of little images recording something about that walk, but it quickly became more about how I was feeling that day, or influenced by what I had recently read, films I had seen, music I had listened to, the landscape becoming a metaphor for my internal space.
These drawings are the result of that project and some new ones that I did in response to my proposal for Art and The Coast.
As a child I grew up in the small Midlands town of Rugby, but we had a caravan on the windswept cliff top at East Runton in Norfolk, and for 12 years I spent every holiday running wild along the coast from Sheringham to Cromer.
I have lived in North Norfolk for the last 15 years and still I view the landscape as representing a wild freedom, childhood memories blurring reality. I proposed to make multiple postcard size drawings, reflecting the experience of being in a certain place along the coast on a certain day, as I had in my college project. Some of the drawings were to be made on days when I had not visited the coast but had instead used my memories of the landscape or weather on past visits. I wanted to draw what I knew and experienced not just what I saw.
Drawing was particularly relevant to this project as in drawing there is a relation with the provisional and unfinished; it exists in a state of suspense. The present is an amalgamation of the past and future – both of which are absent, so drawing is the present that shows the trace of something that is no longer there.
The postcard size of the artwork was to reflect not just my own connection, but also the coasts dependence upon tourism.
People often look at my work not sure what media it is, is it some kind of photo or a print? They comment that they have never seen anything like it be.
My artworks are all hand drawn with a pencil, however I do not work on paper; this is because the textured surface of paper always becomes an integral part of a drawing, however my work is purely about the image, it exists free from it's substrate. I work on wooden boards which are sprayed with gesso, and lightly sanded down to give a very smooth surface onto which I draw directly. I use a very hard 4h pencil, because the surface is hard anything softer creates too much loose graphite. Gesso is an unforgiving medium to work on, unless the mark is very light you cannot rub it out, so I have to work carefully and meticulously.
Finally I have the boards sprayed with a protective acrylic lacquer which effectively makes the work wipe clean.
The art critic David Lee said of my work "It's not often you find work that wants to draw you in". I think part of this is because of the purity of the image achieved through my chosen media.I spoke to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 about the use of the sea in my art
Link below
Kirsty-on-Radio-2.mp3
New work is regularly uploaded so please visit again soon