Holly Leonardson

Holly Leonardson is an Australian visual artist currently residing in Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle, NSW. Working with collage-based concepts for over ten years, her practice spans both handmade and digital collages, small sculptural objects, jewellery and textiles that maintain a focus on the assemblage of found imagery and materials. Holly’s work is guided by a playful, material-led process and an enthusiasm for frequent studio experimentation. She considers the collage and assemblage process as being fundamental to her way of working and thinking.

Holly’s work reflects her interest in the habit of collecting and building collections. Much of her studio activity is propelled by the discovery of unwanted objects at secondhand stores, or items washed up on the shores of the lake or local beaches. The environment is a key theme in her work, though not always the main focus, with natural materials coexisting with artist interventions such as the application of paint or heat to manipulate material and surface, or the inclusion of handcrafted objects, to reflect the human desire to impact the world around them.

Drawn to the uninhibited nature of childlike mark-making and the balance of immediate and labour intense methods of creation, Holly’s work has often been described by others as joyous, meticulous, detailed and colourful.

Holly graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2015 with a Bachelor of Contemporary Art and has lived in four different states along the Australian east coast, seeking inspiration from bush walks and found objects.