Sam Leach 'Brief and Formal' heide circle

Sam Leach 'Brief and Formal' heide circleWinner of the Wynne Prize for landscape painting and the Archibald Prize, Leach is among Australia's leading contemporary artists. The artist has long taken animals as his subject matter. In an interview with Andrew Frost, Leach explains his reasons. Employing animals as human metaphors hes hoping to develop empathy while simultaneously pushing to depict each animal on its own terms. Like a commanding leader, this little monkey sits upon a plinth,

'Ovazimba Maiden

sea and glamour

he places her iconic ruby slipper centre

Whether sun-soaked seas or the delights of domestic life

heightens the theatrical tension and imbues the composition with a sense of interiority that feels both intimate and mysterious

there is always a quiet care for the details of ordinary life

where imagination shapes reality and feeling becomes a form of sight

contributes a unique perspective to his work

absorbed by the audience

One small mould blemish in the centre of the work otherwise excellent condition

in which a man yields to a vulture’s persistent attack

He is represented in the collections of the Art Gallery of NSW and Parliament House Collection Canberra