Leigh Salgado, based in Los Angeles, earned a Bachelors in Fine Art from UCLA and a Masters from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. It was at the experimental Santa Monica College of Design, Art & Architecture where her breakthrough into piercing the physical space of the picture plane happened. This has led to numerous solo shows in commercial and institutional spaces: Launch LA, MOAH (the Museum of Art & History, Lancaster, CA), Oceanside Museum of Art, and LAX airport Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Salgado works with the labor intensive process of cutting paper by hand (with an exacto knife) in order to create paintings and drawings that have texture and dimensionality. The finished artwork resembles a range of things: lace, netting, fabrics, metal and articles of clothing. Memories, experiences and various women who have formed her worldview serve as inspiration. The process may be reminiscent of “women’s work” such as sewing, knitting, or crocheting, but the end result is most definitely fine art, historically privileged as “men’s work.” Salgado’s art is also about persistence in spite of the impossibility of perfection, an appreciation for ornamentation and a deep respect for the actual labor that manifests ideas into concrete objects.

Exhibitions:

The Dinner Party