Visual artist. EXPERIMENTALIST.

art educator. published writer/illustrator.

MFA, BFA, and BED.

“I use old materials and age-old fiber art/art techniques in new ways, and transform new materials in ways they were not originally intended for. My preferred techniques include free motion stitching — otherwise known as machine embroidery, a method of "painting" and building texture with thread on a sewing machine — and manipulating a fascinating material called Fosshape®. I also sew, dye, paint, burn, melt, hand embroider, 3D print, laser cut/engrave, cast, build and assemble.

Impactful experiences as a child that include deafness, a trip to Disneyland at age 5, creating sculptural pieces at my dad’s electrical shop, and a weeping willow tree have been inspirational. Also, a quest to draw viewers in with intriguing, tactile pieces, and instigate human interaction through sight/touch/sound, inspire me to create hyper-Utopian, enveloping experiences, and a growing concern about the environment informs my recent works.”

BIO:

Leisa Rich has Master of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Education in Art degrees, and has been teaching for 48 years in schools, arts centers, universities, and in her studio, across the U.S. & Canada. Her work is published in numerous books, magazines, on line, and televised interviews. She has also written national and international magazine reviews and articles. She has art works in the permanent collections of Delta Airlines Inc., Hilton Hotels Inc., Emory Healthcare and Women’s Health, The Kamm Foundation, The Dallas Museum of Art and more, and in private collections across the U.S., Canada, and the EU.

Leisa has published a children’s book she wrote and illustrated https://www.animalalphabettravelingtwisters.com

and a series of How-To books: https://www.blurb.ca/b/9552452-fosshape-volume-one-the-basics

She is a recipient of many awards, most recently a 2022 Surface Design Association EIP award, and a 2019 Distinguished Fellowship, Fulton County Arts Council, Atlanta, Georgia.

COMING UP!

Solo exhibition: (Almost) Colour Less

Opens May 3, 2024. J2 Gallery + Studio, Gananoque, Ontario, Canada

ANNOUNCEMENT!

I am now a Mastrius Master Mentor! My group begins March 13. Come and check it out!