Christa Leonard started working with photography as a high school sophomore, going on to receive both a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. in Fine Art Photography. She currently works out of her carriage house studio making unique images. Each individual work of art is comprised of multiple archival gelatin silver prints which are patiently sewn together using a vintage Singer Featherweight.
Christa was born in Detroit and has lived in thirteen different homes including four in Detroit, two in Brooklyn and two in Washington DC. She is currently setting a record for longest time in one place in the greater metropolitan New York area with her husband, the designer John Roscoe Swartz, their three children and Edith the dog.
Leonard’s works of art are primarily about memory and the imperfections and flaws of recollection that are patined by time. Using selective depth of field, Leonard creates an opportunity to look closely at each subject, emphasizing specific details while recording others with subdued definition, creating a concrete representation of a recalled time or event. Foregrounds and backgrounds become blurred, painterly, and otherworldly.
Employing traditional black and white photography techniques, Leonard shoots black and white film with a medium format camera which is then processed by hand and carefully printed using archival processes in her darkroom. Rather than using one piece of light sensitive paper, Leonard uses multiple pieces to create the image. After a lengthy washing, toning and drying process, the prints are ironed and any dust spots are meticulously painted out by hand. Due to the way they are made and crafted, each artwork is individual and unique.
The final assembly process begins by puzzling the pieces together; velvety blacks, creamy whites and silvered greys are carefully aligned then, using cotton thread and a vintage sewing machine, Leonard sews together the photographic paper, incorporating techniques of quilting and traditional women’s work to create one finished piece. Her fascination with puzzles and problem solving comes into play in the process. Sometimes complicated and frustrating, always thoughtful and painstaking, the reconstruction is one of her favorite parts of making this artwork.
Her latest body of work is of flowers, many grown in her own garden. Ephemeral blooms, their inherent temporal qualities, including faults and blemishes, are recorded before they disappear and we are afforded time to remember and reflect upon their fleeting, natural beauty.
Education
College for Creative Studies BFA Fine Art Photography 1989
Cranbrook Academy of Art MFA Fine Art Photography 1994
Selected awards and exhibitions
2017 Cottage Place Gallery Solo show
2017 Providence Arts Club Making Your Mark contemporary women artists exhibition
2016 Emerald Arts Center Annual Fall Photography Exhibition honorable mention
2016 Mikhail Zakin Gallery 27th Annual Small Works Show
2002 Fraser Gallery International Photography Competition second place
2001 Capitol Hill Arts League “Heroes and Icons” Best in Show
2000 Ellipse Arts Center Photo 2000 Juror’s Award
1997 The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Outstanding Educator recognition
1994 Cranbrook Art Museum MFA graduate exhibition
Grants
2001 Woodcock faculty development grant
1999 Faculty study grant
1998 Faculty study grant
1997 Woodcock faculty development grant
1997 Faculty study grant
Instagram @christamleonard