Mick Leach | Urban Abstraction

About

Leach, who is self taught and relatively new to the exhibition scene, draws inspiration from the many large cities that he has visited or lived in, his current practice taking particular inspiration from the wonderful city of York; the place he calls home.

In this new body of paintings exhibited for the first time this March, Leach attempts to recreate the colours and feel of the ancient stonework, the dark alleyways, sunken windows, and the contrast of the modern world against this ancient city, a place rich with contradictions. His work is never subjective; but produced instead from memory, in an attempt to recreate the feel of a location whilst simultaneously allowing his work to find its own course. 

In creating his gentle, yet rich and confident images, Leach applies a mixture of chalk powder and paint to wooden boards which can be layered, stripped back and re-worked resulting in a textured, multi-dimensional surface. This layering and reworking guides the direction and composition of his work through the imperfections that he creates, and which, he finds so aesthetically pleasing.