Issue 4 Artist Spotlight | Lesley Bodzy
C+B: Tell us about yourself, Lesley!
LB: My studio practice is a full-time endeavor. I am a recent masters graduate of SAIC. In my spare time I love to visit the Met as often as I can. I take notes of works that catch my eye, without mentioning the artist. And when I get home, I read the notes and try to recall who the artist was. That way, I know my impressions were true.
C+B: How has your relationship with your work changed since you first started creating?
LB: In some ways, in the early stages of my art practice, I felt as though there were two of me in the room: me and the artist I wanted to be. As time has gone by, that vague, unreachable idea of the artist I imagined becoming has departed from the scene. These days, it’s just me in the studio, and I couldn’t be more content in my own company.
C+B: Share some details about your process for creating.
LB: I prefer to work first thing in the morning. I sit at my desk with a cup of steaming hot coffee and focus on disentangling my many feelings and worries. I don’t want them to go away, but to weave themselves into something wearable/describable. When I reach this point, the music I have playing in the background becomes quieter. This is when I know I can begin to create.
C+B: What do you hope people take away from your work?
LB: I hope the viewer experiences the peace that comes with uncertainty. I want the viewer to enjoy feeling unsettled–as if they are floating on solid ground.
Find and support Lesley here:
IG: @lbodzy
Website: https://www.lesleybodzy.com/
(Love Letters 1, 2 and 3, ©Lesley Bodzy)
My work as a meal: My work thrives in its preparation. The deliberate thought and measurement, and yet, the wondrous variability of how it will reach its final shape.
I would love to be able to share my work with: Eva Hesse was masterful in using material, not as an extension of her ideas, but as objects delivered to the world, as unvarnished thoughts made real.
My ideal collaboration: I see my work as a never ending collaboration between me and the viewer. The work cannot stand without the viewer leaving their mark on it. I believe the object is physically altered after this exposure.
My ideal creative retreat: If I had my druthers, I would prefer the quiet of the countryside. My work travels well. The most important shaping of the work takes place in the penetralia of my mind, in my search of it–and in these pathways, the eventual outward appearance of the work finds form.
