Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Pantéa.
Leah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a child, I lived pretty much in my head always creating and drawing, so it was no surprise when I went to Washington to obtain my BFA with a minor in philosophy. I moved to SD shortly after graduating. Pursuing a career in the fine arts has required strength and tenacity, so most of my journey to this point has been dusting myself off, and decidedly trying again! I have been on this path for quite a while with a lot of uphill battles, thankfully I am in a season of gaining momentum.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Wow, certainly not! It’s hard to be a painter when most of the world will enjoy your art on a two-inch screen for free, but that is the world we live in!
Also, refining my voice has taken time. I have dealt with a lot of rejection from shows and gallery experiences where a lot of the conversations were like, “keep going and check back with us in a year.” It was really frustrating because, at each point of rejection, I was the best I had ever been! I am absolutely still honing in on myself, but I have learned that rejection can be an opportunity to reframe and keep going. If I stopped painting after the first or fourth or fifteenth rejection, I wouldn’t be where I am now!
In the work of starting your own creative business, your skin needs to be thick, and you need to want it more than anything else. The worst thing that can happen isn’t a failure, but is missing out on what success could be!
Please tell us about LLP Fine Art.
I create abstracted landscape paintings in oil and embroidery primarily. In my recently completed collection, Janus, I created abstract works in full color, movement and detail sparing no expense. The more tedious the process the better. Once I dubbed the work “complete,” I would add layers of thin white paint over the top to veil the painting, only allowing glimmers of the underpainting to show through.
In this process, I am asking my audience to trust me in the story of my artwork. Without evidence that I created a full work beneath the layer of white, I am telling a story that you don’t get to see the evidence of. This collection has been shared on The Jealous Curator, in Luxe Magazine and has collectors around the world. I feel genuinely fortunate for it!
In this collection, I let my art reflect my internal work, and I let myself become part of the story. I like to document myself with it to serve as a reminder that the work has come from a person, and is part of a story, not necessarily just something created mindlessly to adorn your wall, although it would look great there!
In addition to my fine art practice, I enjoy a multi-faceted career also including illustration and mural artwork.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
So many!
Podcasts: On Being, The Life Coach School, Creative Pep Talk, and the Portfolio Life
Books: The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, The Agony and The Ecstasy, Irving Stone, Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer, Out of your Mind, Alan Watts
Apps: Patreon, Hootesuite, UNIUM, Instagram
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leahpantea.com
- Instagram: leahpantea
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/leahlpantea
- Other: www.patreon.com/llpfineart
Image Credit:
@LLPFineArt
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