Melody Knight Leary
I have been actively engaged in the field of printmaking, as an artist and educator, for decades. I hold a BFA from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford and a MS from Central Connecticut State College. After a long and rewarding teaching career at the prestigious Norwich Art School at the Norwich Free Academy, I now focus my energy on my own studio practice. My work has been exhibited locally, nationally and internationally and is held in both public and private collections. My home studio -TreeTop Press - is located in the woods of southeastern Connecticut; a place that provides sanctuary, serving as a vehicle for meditation on the ebb and flow of time and the unfolding cycles of life.
Statement: As an artist/printmaker, I’ve always been intrigued by the unique opportunities that the transferred image affords. The structured limitations of the medium, the energy involved in working the plates, the smell of the inks, the feel of the paper, and the magic of the press all play a roll in printmaking’s allure.
A self-taught printmaker, I was first introduced to contemporary nontoxic printmaking practices in 1995 at Keith Howard’s master’s workshop held in Peace River, Alberta Canada. Since that time I’ve gone on to investigate various less toxic methods and techniques and introduced these safer practices to my students and employ them in my home studio.
At its base, my artwork is an inquiry, a series of experiments. I use my work to explore, rather than offer definitive answers. My internalized observations of the passing of days, the drama of the unseen, the meaning of stillness, and the witness of the objects that surround me become vehicles to voice the expressions of lived experience for which there are never quite the right words.
Contact: mknightleary@gmail.com
