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Leslie Safarik
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Leslie Safarik
Zeb II
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Biography |
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As a child, the Safarik family moved from California to Paris, which gave Leslie an entirely new perspective on the world, people and art. Making beautiful objects came naturally to this young woman who haunted the Louvre, Jeu de Paume, and Versailles. These museums gave her a sense of how durable important work can and must be. Her summers were spent in different regions of France absorbing history. At 15 she moved to Sao Paolo and she got a chance to experience yet another culture as she learned about macumba and Carnivale from the Brazilians’ rich culture. At 17, she entered the California College of Arts and Crafts earning both a B.A. and M.F.A. Here she met her mentors Viola Frey and Art Nelson and decided to make art her life’s work, filling the world with happiness and color: a patchwork of patterns, shapes and textures. Leslie always loved sculpture and painting and wanted to fuse them to fill a space on par with the viewer, work that would last like the beautiful objects she’s so admired of the past. |
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Leslie made the decision to work in clay, where the bone-white form becomes her canvas. After the forms are created, she paints her patterns and designs to wrap around the work taking the viewer on a journey across brightly colored and textured surfaces. The work is done using a pinch coil method with custom mixed clay. After it is fired into bisque wear the pieces are glazed and fired another 4 to 6 times depending on colors, which are grouped together by firing temperatures, with the highest temperatures fired first. It takes about 14 hours to heat up the kilns and the same time for them to cool down. Each piece is custom made. Her human figures are 6 feet or taller and take at least 4 months to complete. The works are all low fire ceramics made in different sections enabling them to fit into the kilns as well as making them easy to ship. Her figures can be placed outside in climates where temperatures do not get below freezing. Leslie has been a professional artist for over 20 years, having exhibited in over thirty shows. Her work has appeared in juried shows, been featured by the New York Times and she boasts an impressive list of private collectors, including Danielle Steele. The brightly colored sculptures are a colorful addition to any interior. |
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