Barbara Leahy-Edwards is an artist and an advocate for women. With her work’s primary focus on that of the abstract, she specializes in vibrant colors and energetic shapes. Her pieces are influenced by a wide range of emotions, with the common underlying theme of overcoming obstacles and persevering. She takes inspiration from life experiences and challenges, nature, and the current climate of the world in which we live. Many of her pieces include an element of texture from various mediums including recycled materials as well as items taken directly from the earth.
In addition to over 30 years of teaching and coaching women’s sports, Barbara is the Founder of the Triumphant Spirits Scholarship Award. Created in 2012 with her late husband, this program provides college tuition assistance to help young women who exemplify a “triumphant spirit” as they journey towards their future.
Barbara has participated in a long list of shows, including the SeeMe ‘Art Takes Times Square’ competition, where two of her paintings were digitally imposed on a 25-story billboard in Times Square. Her popular Triumphant Spirits series “Joy” painting won both the Best Painting Award and the People’s Choice Award in the Lincoln Park Artrageous Competition. Besides the Chicagoland area, she has participated in several shows and galleries in New York City, as well as internationally in the UK and Paris. For a complete listing of her past shows, please visit her website at www.blartgallery.com.
In addition to her own unique artwork, Barbara plans on exhibiting fellow women artists’ work in her space.
Frank Leahy Art & Photography
www.frankleahyart.com
Frank Leahy Art & Photography is pleased to present a fascinating collection of images from a yearly “Ice Bench Experiment.” Emotionally diverse in nature, the mood of the ice changes as it adapts to its environment and eventually melts into nothingness. With his camera, Frank literally embraces the bench, reaching into every crevice, searching for composition, light and color. At -10f with gloves off he practices body control trying to avoid the inevitable shivering, slipping and shaking. In the deepest of winter, you'll find him, day and night, in the front yard as he takes advantage of lighting changes during the day and artificial sources at night. When he can't stand the cold anymore he'll come inside and warm up, downloading the images so he can have some immediate feedback. Like an art marathon once started, the Ice Bench demands continuous attention and monitoring. On a cold cloudy day, the pace slows a bit, add the sun and the change speeds up, so he must act fast to capture the changes. He literally makes something out of nothing and is happy with this clutter free approach to art and sculpture. The images then live on the internet creating a legacy. Frank is currently exploring professional representation for his work and can be reached at frankleahy@frankleahyart.com.
