Personal Information

Full Name

Leigh Radtke

Artist Bio

Leigh Radtke_ Artist BIO
www.leighradtke.com

BagLand started with the idea of art created from the everyday objects that we throw away, or at best recycle. I set out to create art that explores humanity and humanity’s use of resources centered on an every day accessible object, the paper bag. Paper bags come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and are readily available. In fact, paper bags have so many different images and designs printed on them and come in so many colors that I decided to create collages using paper bags as my medium. Collage and the paper bag seemed a natural fit since collage is the art of image and material recycling and re-use. By limiting myself to bags I discovered a bag jargon; a bag lingo. Tomatoes became BagLanders, wine glasses were helmets, bowls are boats, surfboards a rocket, and the end of the world is the bottom of a bag; BagLand was born!

In BagLand I met Fat Rabbit, created a space opera, learned papel picado and you know what, pigs CAN fly!

For Altered Barbie this year I also played with casting plaster- enjoy!

Artist Statement

Beauty Is Me

I saw some art the other day. Realistic paintings of girls with antlers
bunny ears
a wolf nose
and yellow eyes

Beautiful bodies
not model pretty but women pretty

Big hips, breasts the right size and thighs that made the hips look small
in poses of defiance
Challenge
Determination
As if to say conventional wisdom be dammed

Beauty is me

I have antlers to fend off you nay say-ers you Barbie lovers
A wolf nose to smell you
Bunny ears to hear you
And yellow eyes to see you in the dark

Beauty is Me

LOVE ME

History

Member for

15 years 10 months