Interview: Le’Andra LeSeur by Ksenia M. Soboleva
What inspired LeSeur? Compare what motivates you to create meaning.
LeSeur is inspired by language and how it manifests itself within her body. Those
feelings intertwining with her writing and visual art are able to evoke a message that she wants to convey. Color, the physical form, emotion, identity, and perception are all components that influence LeSeur. As she mentions the ‘gaze’ and how perception can evoke emotion and preconceived thoughts of someone’s physical. My motivation for creating is simply there can never be enough art and the freedom of expression. A certain mood can fuel my piece as I’m working on which is usually tied to an idea that would relate to that. Also the aspect of connection—my motivation being the act of evoking emotion not only for me but for others as well.
How does your choice of material, process, aesthetic, content, etc. reinforce your message?
I typically work in oil paint as that’s what I’m drawn to the most. Capturing my idea as if it’s a moment in time would reflect my medium and how that reinforces my message. I feel as though the aesthetic throughout my works can fluctuate mainly because it’s tied to my identity or what I hold close to me so depending on the concept those things will influence my process. Whether it’s the gesture when using charcoal, or texture for a painting all of them contribute to how I want to display my work.
Interview Questions
Who was your most important teacher?
My high school senior art teacher really made an impact on me. Previous to that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue art, while I had a love for it I wasn’t familiar with the field as a career. While it was just a sculpture and ceramics class, she inspired me to take myself more seriously with my creative passion. Also I went on some really cool trips and was able to meet the artists.
What is your favorite artwork?
My favorite tends to change as we all see new art daily but my current one is Judith Beheading Holofernese, Artemisia Gentileschi 1620.
What exhibition has had the most influence on you?
In 2023 I went to see Jupiter’s Lottery by Dana Schutz and I can still remember my initial reaction of curiosity as I entered the space. She had a variety of stark colors within her oil paintings and bronze casted sculptures. The scale of some of the pieces is what really had me there for long just to keep looking and finding new things. A lot of them had an abstract quality to them with these sort of grotesque figures in regards to how the body and faces were distorted. Genuinely this exhibition made me feel more inspired to paint whatever I want and with ceramics as well.
What is your favorite museum?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art as it has a vast collection of works throughout all cultures. It’s not my favorite, but the Museum of Natural History is a close one because my grandparents would take me there very often as a kid.
What book has influenced you the most?
Fahrenheit 451is a book I read during high school. It’s crazy how everything comes full circle but I still appreciate how this book sets up the story to emphasize the impact on censorship and how important it is to be informed. Just the right of one’s belongings being taken away is what made me keep reading as well as the dystopian theme.
What other creative fields/disciplines influence you?
Music, movies, shows, photography are all things that influence me. I like the fact that these are all evidence of life and one’s thoughts/ideas. All are able to evoke emotions by the creator and the audience.
Have you ever made a choice that was influenced by someone’s critique or feedback?
I definitely like to take into account of other’s critiques as perspective is very important to me. In the technical aspect I would usually be influenced by other’s feedback if it’s about proportions and composition. The main thing is I take non constructive feedback with a grain of salt as I would not want to make something that’s not true to me as an artist.
What advice would you give to an aspiring artist?
Don’t compare yourself to others as you’re wasting time worrying about what someone else is achieving. Instead, focus and put that energy into your craft as the only one who can truly make you improve is yourself.
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