{"id":2732,"date":"2014-02-12T16:54:10","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T06:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=2732"},"modified":"2014-02-12T16:54:10","modified_gmt":"2014-02-12T06:54:10","slug":"artchat-blog-interview-44-leah-anketell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=2732","title":{"rendered":"ArtChat [Blog Interview #44] \u2013  Leah Anketell"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb_share_1\" style=\"float: right; margin-left: 10px;\"><a name=\"fb_share\" type=\"icon_link\" share_url=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=2732\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php\">Share<\/a><\/div><div><script src=\"http:\/\/static.ak.fbcdn.net\/connect.php\/js\/FB.Share\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/div><p><a title=\"Leah Anketell\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/LeahAnketell2014.html\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Leah Anketell&#8217;s<\/b><\/a> paintings originate with childhood visions; the\u00a0Australian outback culture is a strong influence with the <a title=\"Bovine\" href=\"http:\/\/www.thenormanby.com.au\/restaurant\" target=\"_blank\">bovine<\/a> often featured. Recently chosen as the winner of the People&#8217;s Choice award at the <a title=\"2014 Byron Arts Class\" href=\"http:\/\/www.byroncentre.com.au\/whats-on\/arts-classic\/\" target=\"_blank\">2014\u00a0Byron Arts Classic<\/a>, Leah&#8217;s new series of paintings also features\u00a0dogs and their relationship to nature.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2766\" alt=\"Leah Anketell\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell.jpg\" width=\"760\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0 What inspires you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As a product of my environment, I reflect on local surroundings and aim to capture a quirky side of nature that moves me and my audience to view creation in a different light. Whatever impacts on my life, also impacts my work. Economy, society, religion and family are some of these.<\/p>\n<p>I observe and study each of my subjects at length. My aim is to find in each subject a certain side of their personality which is not always obvious in a life setting and of which I personally relate to.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Describe your art in a sentence.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The emotions my animals convey ties humans to them, and obliterates our differences.<\/p>\n<p>By regularly contemplating the &#8216;ache of modernism&#8217; my subjects are sometimes strong. Sometimes perplexed. Sometimes soulful. But usually uncomfortably human in their emotions.<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2767\" alt=\"Leah Anketell\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell02.jpg\" width=\"760\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell02.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell02-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What can\u2019t you live without?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Time and again, I have proven to myself that I cannot live without painting. It is my means of communication and my way of showing appreciation for creation itself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Do you remember your first painting as a child?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I still have my very first oil painting,\u00a0which I completed at the age of 8. It is a still life painting of my mothers clay pot full of flowers. The background is bright purple and the flowers are all different varieties and very bright. I remember working on this painting with the help of my grandfather for weeks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What music do you listen to whilst you\u2019re working?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I do not usually listen to music whilst painting. I find that it has too much impact on my work, and sometimes changes the direction. I need to make sure that my work is only influenced by myself and the subject at hand.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0 Apart from art what is the next most creative thing you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0 <a title=\"cooking\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mondo-organics.com.au\/Cooking-School-pg3767.html \" target=\"_blank\">Cooking<\/a>. I find a lot of joy in creating different recipes and <a title=\"Baking\" href=\"http:\/\/bakeshack.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">baking<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Your work is dominated by large colour fields, how does colour affect you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0 Colour is the key most important factor in my paintings, different colours symbolise different emotions to me. \u00a0Example: Some Blue\u2019s I use symbolise calmness and peace, and other blue\u2019s the exact opposite.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What do you like doing when you\u2019re not painting?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I\u2019m not painting, I\u2019m drawing, when I\u2019m not drawing, I\u2019m contemplating a concept of another piece. Most of my life is spent creating at different stages.<\/p>\n<p>Then I\u2019ll take a long walk along an isolated beach near where I live and accumulate all my thoughts together, and start all over again!<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally I travel inland to an artists retreat where I gain inspiration from my contemporaries.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AC:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Share something about yourself which would surprise our readers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>LA:\u00a0 I am an avid reader of the Bible and feel it is the greatest book ever written.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell03.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2768\" alt=\"Leah Anketell\" src=\"http:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell03.jpg\" width=\"760\" height=\"436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell03.jpg 760w, https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Leah-Anketell03-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Leah Anketell will be showing with three other\u00a0talented female artists in a group exhibition <a title=\"Women of Substance\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">&#8220;Women of Substance&#8221;<\/a>\u00a0at Red\u00a0Hill Gallery, Brisbane\u00a0from February 14 until Sunday March 3, 2014.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9\u00a0\u00a0<a title=\"Red Hill Gallery\" href=\"http:\/\/www.redhillgallery.com.au\/\" target=\"_blank\">Red Hill Gallery<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"al2fb_like_button\"><div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n(function(d, s, id) {\n  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];\n  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;\n  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;\n  js.src = \"\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1&appId=499790883388518\";\n  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);\n}(document, \"script\", \"facebook-jssdk\"));\n<\/script>\n<fb:like href=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=2732\" send=\"true\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" share=\"false\" width=\"150\" action=\"recommend\" font=\"arial\" colorscheme=\"light\" ref=\"AL2FB\"><\/fb:like><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ShareLeah Anketell&#8217;s paintings originate with childhood visions; the\u00a0Australian outback culture is a strong influence with the bovine often featured. Recently chosen as the winner of the People&#8217;s Choice award at the 2014\u00a0Byron Arts Classic, Leah&#8217;s new series of paintings also &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/?p=2732\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,4,176,63,19,8,58,43,159,20,127,30,24,13,36,6,187],"tags":[290,121,61,9,14,123,306,295,120,293,65,304,296,124,297,25,67,294,299,10],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2732"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2780,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2732\/revisions\/2780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artchat.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}