Interview

Jul 13

Sedona Leach

Sedona Leach was accepted into the ACES Educational Center for the Arts Visual Arts Department in New Haven, CT, and enrolled from the years 2019-2020. Sedona most recently completed a BFA in painting and a minor in art history from the Hartford Art School within the University of Hartford in 2026, and was also awarded The Rudolph Zallinger Painting Prize as a student. Immediately following graduation, she was accepted into the Five Points Arts Launchpad program, where she now has her practice based in Torrington, CT. Sedona is most recently exhibiting her wood sculpture Somnambulist at Underwater Kite Art Gallery in Windsor, CT from June-September 2026. Additionally, her painting The Dinner/IN CASE OF FIRE BREAK GLASS, will be exhibited in The 56th Annual Nor’Easter Juried Members Exhibition, and will take place at the New Britain Museum of American Art from August 15th to September 16th.

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“I grew up in Madison CT along the shoreline in a small historical town. In the middle of my high school years, I was accepted into The ACES Educational Center for the Arts Visual Arts Department in New Haven, CT, and enrolled from the years 2019-2020. But, when covid hit, everything went remote. I no longer went in person to high school or my art school, and like many, I fell into a depression. Writing became my creative and emotional outlet because I had no energy for art. Years later when I was accepted into the Hartford Art School, I recalled these poems and writings and used them as fuel for my early paintings and conceptual works while trying to find my voice. It was while I was building my senior thesis works in the second half of my junior year into my senior year in college that I really found my creative language and purpose within my art practice. Right as I was graduating, I was accepted into the Five Points Arts Launchpad Program where I have access to exhibition opportunities, as well as a studio space above the Five Points Art Gallery to continue to grow and build a strong portfolio of work- ultimately with a masters program in mind.”

What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?

“My work aims to shine a spotlight on subjects hidden in the shadows obscured by taboo; predation, sexual trauma, as well as exploring the exploitative world of advertisement and consumption which I find is ultimately intertwined with predation and fetishization. I am inspired by my own personal experiences as a woman, as well as broader experiences beyond myself as an individual such as the general grooming and predation of young girls engrained through the media and advertisements pushed into our mainstream for us to consume. Do you ever find yourself disturbed by a highway lined with advertisements ranging from fast food to Gentlemens clubs? The line between advertising food and other goods and sexual bodies becomes very blurred through the similar style of language used in advertisement. ‘Mmmmmm so good!’ ‘Quality snacks for every taste…’ ‘Try me! Buy Me! Take me home!’ ‘Size Matters.’ They all transcend the product being sold, and mesh together into this seductive, sexualized language of temptation and indulgence. This is my most recent fascination within my practice, although many of the works following this subject line are still in the drawing stages. The first of its kind can be found in my painting ‘Fetidischmus’ where I start to make a comment on this concept. My work started individually confined to my personal experiences, but I find it broadening to a larger idea.”

Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?

“I love to allow space for both. Depending on the painting, I might plan an entire general layout to build off of, or maybe I am only certain about two figures in a composition. I allow myself to improvise on the spot when I am caught in the whirlwind of creation. For example, in my painting ‘Composition Doll,’ I only had a vision of the chaos in my mind, no sketch or preparation. I ran to a hardware store and got a 4x4ft panel, and just started attacking it. I started by painting the doll in the left, then painted the one in the bottom right corner, and I simply didn’t stop painting until I was satisfied that the chaos in my mind was successfully transferred into a satisfying intuitive visual language. That entire painting was done in a few hours. On the other hand, ‘Fetidischmus’ was pretty thoroughly planned. I did multiple sketches and designs of the billboard, used many reference images and sketched in a composition on my 4x6ft panel, and used a jigsaw to cut the outline of the billboard. Even with a plan, I know things will always change and evolve, and so aspects I was unsure about in the design process become resolved as the painting progressed. I have found in my practice no matter what medium, it's all about trusting myself. Trusting that even in a stage of unknowing, everything will turn out the way it's meant to because I simply won’t quit until it does.”

Are there any art world trends are you following?

“I love the resurgence of ‘craft’ and found objects being integrated into fine art spaces. Creative expressions overlooked as women's crafts like embroidery, sewing, quilting, crochet and knitting, making their way into high brow art spaces. I am also a self taught sewist and historical clothing seamstress, and so I find a lot of inspiration through traditional women's crafts and methods of creation. I embroidered for the first time for my sculpture ‘Hobble,’ which also integrated found objects. I took inspiration from 1940s WWII sweetheart souvenir lingerie with their delicate silk decadence, and kitschy embroidered saying on the fronts and backs. On one breast of a 1940s bralette reads ‘Sweet Sour’ and the other breast, ‘Don’t Touch.’ On the panties, ‘Gone with the wind Off Limits,’ and ‘Keep your pants on honey until I come home.’ These were things that would be bought overseas by soldiers for their sweethearts back home, the lingerie being hand sewed by the women of the foreign country, geared towards the affections of the soldiers for their ladies back at home. With the language embroidered on the underwear, and the concept of lingerie being bought by men for women, ultimately FOR the man’s pleasure, it's hard not to think of the overarching advertisement of bodies and commodities I find myself intrigued by in billboards and modern advertisements. I used a pair of 1930s-40s wooden mannequin legs on a metal stand as the model for my rendition of the souvenir underwear. I used a vintage sewing pattern I altered and redrafted to sew the shorts, which were made from reclaimed antique silk, as well as antique lace. I then spent 15+ hours embroidering the shorts; this slow and intense meditative process being part of the artwork itself. Reminiscing on women’s crafts and the time spent at home dedicated to a piece of embroidery.”

What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?

“My process depends. It can start with a phrase I saw on a billboard, a piece of graffiti, a doll in an antique shop, one of my works of writing, nature, an interaction I had, it is different every time. My inspiration calls back to art history, historical sewing, americana, antique objects, and classic and modern advertisement. I gather my inspiration and ideas and start sketching or writing words in my sketchbook that I also handbound in a historical raised cord binding and watermarbled covers. This aspect lends itself as part of my process, because I find it makes me more passionate about my ideas when they reside in a sketchbook I created myself. From the initial first rough sketch, I continue developing and doing multiple sketches until I land on one solid enough to take to the next level of transferring the idea to a vessel, whether for a painting, or sculpture format. I love to do an initial sketch with oil pastel or acrylic for my paintings, and then acrylic or oil paint overtop to build and solidify the idea and composition. I enjoy using nontraditional mediums for my paintings as well such as spray paint, puffy paint, nail polish, eyeshadow, as well as integrating 3D aspects into my paintings like press on nails, toothpicks, twigs, epoxy clay, spray foam insulation, etc. For my sculptures, I will come across an object that calls to me, such as the antique mannequin legs I previously mentioned, a vintage wooden dollhouse, or dilapidated road sign, and usually the idea comes to me after I procure the found objects.”

What does your art mean to you?

“My art is my therapy, my voice, my career, a constant puzzle and challenge, and my way of critiquing an idea in a pervasive yet beautiful way. My creations cannot be ignored, they are loud and retain an edge while simultaneously offering some visual familiarity and comfort. The breakthroughs and successes of my art practice have made me more confident in my abilities as an artist and human being, and encouraged me to experiment and take more risks. My art has expedited my personal and artistic growth exponentially, allowed me incredible opportunities to connect deeper with my peers, as well as make new art-world connections. My art gave me my voice, gave me justice and agency when I needed it most, and continues to do so not only for myself, but for others who see my work and can relate to the experiences buried deep within my visual language.”

What’s your favourite artwork and why?

“It is very hard for me to choose because their processes and meanings for me are all so different and simultaneously intertwined. But the piece I have dedicated the most time and passion towards is ‘Somnambulist.’ I spent about a year and a half sketching, planning, and building a mockup sculpture in preparation for the real process of carving a 4 foot tall solid wood sculpture. My inspiration came from renaissance wood carving sculptures, especially when I went to the Medieval Sculpture Hall inside of The Met. My passion was ignited there, and I just knew I had to try my hand at it. Without any expansive wood working background, I did extensive research on the topic, then set out and found a small business wood supplier. By the beginning of my senior year, I had an independent study for this project of mine, a few hundred pounds of poplar beams, and a lot of work to do by the end of the school year. I worked at least an average of 4-5 days a week for anywhere from 5-12 hours a day for months, with the intention of it being the crowning jewel of my senior thesis. Many had their doubts, but I didn’t. When I set myself to something, it's serious like a heart attack and I don’t stop until I have accomplished my goals. And after 7 months of consistent labor, ‘Somnambulist’ was born and in the flesh; something which started as a thought, then a sketch, then a mockup structure from wood and plaster, and then- I actually did it. I learned so much about my work ethic, my insatiable passion for creating, and the lengths I can go through my own self motivation and unwavering passion(and perhaps a little delusion). This piece was entirely born out of my own creation of sheer willpower and stubbornness- the inability to back down from challenge, to face it headfirst, and conquer it. The process was so physically laborious, as well as mentally and emotionally taxing. It wasn’t just a wood carving; it was a test of my strength- physical and mental. It was both a violent, and delicate process of hewing the wood, and finishing it to look soft. Its a symbol of the justice I found within myself: beheading the wolf that I let eat away at me inside for years and putting my triumphant conquest on display.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“The 56th Annual Nor’Easter Juried Members Exhibition, the New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA), CT, August 15th- September 17th 2026. Tar & Feathers, Underwater Kite Art Gallery, Windsor, CT, June-September 2026. Entropy, Printmaking & Painting BFA Thesis Exhibition, Silpe Gallery, West Hartford, CT, 2026 Goldfarb Exhibition, Joselof Gallery, West Hartford, CT, 2024.”