about david mcleish
David James McLeish
386.679.0924
3dmcleish@gmail.com
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My Current is both personal diary and story telling, at once. Drawn from a mixture of memory, architecture, and those encountered along the way, I try to create the feel of some of these places and experiences, to capture the mood of a person who finds herself somewhere unfamiliar, yet the underlying hand of Man instills some sense of familiarity just the same. Or, perhaps, the hazy memory of an adult returning somewhere he had last been as a young child. Revisiting a place both new and familiar, imbued with magical child thinking and an altered sense of proportion.
BACKGROUND:
I was born in South Amboy, New Jersey to a middle-class family. My first introduction to change occurred at the age of five, when, due to financial reasons, my parents moved to Florida to live with my grandparents. I learned the meaning of hard work, dedication and loyalty. My parents were always there for me—often working several jobs to support my education. Luckily, I inherited this never-give-up attitude, and won a wrestling scholarship to St. Thomas Aquinas High School, a top private school in Fort Lauderdale. This education enabled me to continue my studies with an AA degree, complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and earn a Master of Education degree. In addition to my formal education, I have traveled to over sixty countries, and have exhibited my art in Miami, New York, and Japan. Currently, I am completing a Master of Fine Arts degree, which will combine my two loves—art and education.
DEVELOPING MY ART:
As an undergraduate at Florida State University, Ed Love and Charles Hook were my mentors. Under their supervision, I gave my first exhibit, “Who Made Who”, to complete the requirements for a B.F.A. during the summer of 1992. The positive feed-back and the experience, gave me the confidence to move on to the bigger cities of Miami, New York, and Tokyo.
The Leoni Gallery in Miami promoted my first solo exhibition, “Who Made Who”. This exhibition brought me recognition and interest by local art collectors and agents from New York, which led to an invitation to participate in a New York show. From there, I went to Japan, which lead to shows in Ueno, Koshigaya, and Odawara. In Japan, my art focused on found objects: wood, steel and silk. My travel continued, and my creativity developed. These art forms included work in non-traditional spaces, Trains (performance pieces), Judo, Dojos in Japan and Brazil, and the homeless in Korea, Thailand, and Brazil—working with local communities doing chalk talks, performance, and installations, temporary pieces to inspire children and adults to express their ideas with materials available to them.
Currently, my goal is to enhance my art teaching skills. The FSU course I currently teach, Foundations in 3-D Design, supports this goal. Under Professor Mary Stewart’s Guidance, I am mentoring my fellow graduate students and instructing undergraduate level students in 3-D design. I am enjoying the challenge of teaching 3-D art to students with little or no experience. This class is in tandem with other local projects I am conducting in Tallahassee.
EDUCATION
St. Thomas Aquinas High School, 1987
Tallahassee Community College, 1990, A.A.
Florida State University, 1992, B.F.A.
School For International Training, Brattleboro VT. 1999, M.E.
Florida State University, M.F.A. to be completed in 2009
EXHIBITIONS
2009
October 19 - December 5: Defining Multiple Points of View - The Bertha V.B. Lederer Gallery of SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, USA
October 17 - November 1: Genki Animals Residency, Abiko City, Japan
June 12 - June 31: Solo Exhibition - A Journey - Anita S. Wooten Gallery, Orlando, FL USA
May 9 - June 4: University of North Florida, Dual Show with Mary Stewart, Jacksonville, FL USA
April 10 - April 30: Museum of Fine Art, Tallahassee, FL USA
2008
January 11- February 16: The Assembly – Gadsden Arts Center, Quincy, FL, USA
March 2: Expressions 2--Women’s Correctional Institution, Tallahassee, FL, USA
March 20-30: Thank you China -- Temporary Sculpture, Izu, Japan
May 6- June 25: Statements on Humanity--Mississippi College, MS, USA
July- August: Breaking Down Walls-- public work, Tallahassee 25, Tallahassee, FL USA
2007
December 6: Mystery Masters—Ritz-Carlton, Miami, FL, USA
November 4: Expressions--Women’s Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee, FL, USA
October 5: Fall Forward-- Big Bend Contemporary, Tallahassee, FL, USA
July 27: AI- Energy Coming Together--Gleeson Dojo, London, England
March 11: Subtle changes- Big impact-- Shiroi Open Air Park- Installation, Shiroi, Japan
2006
October 18: Anu--(BBC)--Tallahassee, FL, USA
March 23: We are One-- Solo Show-- Big Bend Contemporary, Tallahassee, FL, USA
January 21: Tanpopo--Sato Gallery, Matsudo, Japan
2005
December 3: Simple Lines--Shodo Exhibition-- Reese Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
March 20: Mixing Culture--Koshigaya Tea Ceremony House, Koshigaya City, Japan
February 11: Angry Mother/Tsunami Relief – Denki Daigaku, Tokyo, Japan
2004
September 18: Limits--Soto Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
June 10: Gaijin (A Dirty Word)-- Reitaku Daigaku, Kashiwa, Japan
Febuary15: Figures in Motion 4-- Amble Dojo, Narita, Japan
2003
March 15: Figures in Motion 2-- Mascaranus Dojo, Salvador, Brazil
June 10: Children’s Expressions—Shodo, Ishikawa Shyodo Center, Izu, Japan
1997
July 20: Presents from China—Installation-- Lime Art Center, Izu, Japan
February 2: Figures in Motion 1-- Space Edge, Tokyo, Japan
1993
June 20: International Open-- Ishikawa Gallery- Smallpox Series, Ueno, Japan
1992
December 15: Who Made Who--Leoni Gallery, Miami, FL, USA
June 20: BFA Graduation Show— Museum of fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL, USA
PERFORMANCE PIECES
2006
July 25: Unhappy Birthday to Me-- Yamanote Line, Ueno, Japan
2005
September 12: Empty Seat-- Photo Series, Chiba, Japan
2004
