What is your story, in a paragraph or two?

Born and raised just outside Birmingham, Leigh developed his eye for colour and interest in design from an early age. He design career began shortly after graduating the Royal College of Art in London in 2000.  Leigh worked as a freelance knitted textile designer selling to Calvin Klein, Levi, Nicole Fahri, Eddie Bauer, Milk, Woolmark to name just a few.

Following his textiles design career working in both fashion and interiors he now shares his passion for colour and textiles as a lecturer at the renowned Glasgow School of Art. In 2012 Leigh decided to launch The Graphic Pattern Studio, eager to develop his interests in rich abstract graphic print design he produced his first collection of Limited Edition Prints and wallcovering. His work was instantly coveted by leading architecture and interior design companies and much sort after by private clients. 

How would you describe your artwork to someone who didn’t have the benefit of seeing it in person or in a photograph?

My work is an exploration of colour through geometric forms. Distinguished by a clean graphic aesthetic, my work echos the design language of mid century posters, advertising and packaging. My prints explore interactions of colour each one meticulously planned, every hue, proportion, saturation and opacity of colour is considered. Creating shapes and form which explore varying degrees of opacity allow for an ever changing palette of blended colour.

Using vectors to create my works, my style hovers somewhere between abstraction, minimalism and a geometric approach. With a penchant for textiles and print design, and a passion for colour, my art is a firm favourite with leading architectural and interior design firms.

Layers, shape and colour form the basis of my prints, coming together to create compelling and complex digital works of art. My distinct colour palette links each of the works in my portfolio together, with the transparency levels revealing a depth to every piece. With a harmonised colour scheme making his style instantly recognisable, I continue to experiment with shape and the illusion of depth, and in doing so forms works that have a unique pull to them.

How do you personally define “abstract art”?

Anything that is stylised or simplified.  Abstract art for me is a visual communication of form, shape and colour.

What is your thought process in the creation of your art? What sort of decisions are made before you start the work as opposed to during?

Giclée Printing - it’s what I do…..

Many galleries and other artists don’t consider Giclée printing as an original form of artist printing and here’s why:

A giclée print is a term for an ‘inkjet’ print. It derives its name from the French verb for ‘squirt, spurt or spray’, as generally giclée prints are produced with an inkjet printer (where the ink ‘spurts’ through a nozzle). You will often come across “limited edition giclée” copies of paintings and prints –  it’s always worth remembering that these are reproductions – not originals.

However, there are a number of artists producing work for which the digital print IS the finished result – and that’s ME!

For me it’s simple, I define all of my prints as an original artwork that has been printed by me.  It is not a reproduction or printed on my behalf. I have chosen the paper that the image is printed on and have determined the dimensions and edition size of the print (the number of copies printed). Once printed I then number and sign each of the prints. Once I have sold all the editions of a particular print I can not and will not print anymore. Rest assured, if you buy from me you are purchasing an original Limited Edition piece of Art, enjoy!

How does thinking abstractly inform or impact other aspects of your life?

I’m a minimalist and obsessed with colour so it impacts on every aspect of my life. Being creative isn’t something that you can switch on or off, for me it’s an integral part of daily life. I’m constantly looking for inspiration Shadows on a pavement, the built environment, a skyline, technology, archives. Permanently having a camera with me enables me to capture anything I see that inspires me - usually abstracted shapes and forms.