© Leah Macdonald, Image courtesy of the artist

March 15, 2023

Amie Potsic interviews photographer Leah Macdonald about her Book Release and Artist Talk. Macdonald presents a 30-year retrospective exhibition and monograph for her silver gelatin print series, Lost Light Luv.

“In the darkroom, I was both a methodical performer and wild chemist, a crazy experimental mess... I wanted each and every print to physically describe some very important challenges for me - feeling uncomfortable in my body, dealing with anxiety, self-doubt, fear, and insecurity. I wanted the prints to show the scars that we often don’t see on each other, the hurts that happen that we hide underneath our skin. I wanted my insides to come out, but I did not want to give away the secrets.”

— Leah Macdonald

Leah Macdonald makes her portraits into artifacts, one-of-a-kind conceptions that suggest the imperfection and multiplicity of memory. The heart of her mixed media work, a poignant sense of revisitation and return. Her passion is sharing her art and creativity with others through teaching workshops, art exhibitions and her prolific internet portfolios. Her new technique “photogestic” is the fruition of all her years of experimenting with altered surface analog photography and mixing media. It combines her three skills in art: photography, collage and encaustic painting. When transforming photographs from slivers of reality to complete fantasy, she expresses the tales of womanhood. She uses collage to place her figures in new and surreal environments. Her intuition with encaustics allows beeswax to embellish and veil her models. She carefully draws on the wax to decorate and control the visibility of the subject. Layering these mediums by manipulating surface texture and color grants her the ability to express
her imagination and bring her art vision to life.

Macdonald was born in Philadelphia, attended college in San Francisco, and then went on to receive her MFA in Photography from the California College of Art. She enjoyed a long and varied career path within the arts:
commercial photography, professional analog printer and college professor. She was the Education Curriculum Director at the Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center. In 2007 she was asked to do a live encaustic painting
demonstration on the Martha Stewart show. Other highlights include a solo retrospective of encaustic nudes at Wexler gallery in 2010. In 2016 she was the scenic director of In My Body Musical. In 2017 she was selected as
the recipient of the New Courtland Fellowship by The Center for Emerging Visual Artists. In 2018 she was an artist in residence at the Encaustic Castle. She recently launched a new website; Lost Light Luv, it features her
legacy analog photography. Her encaustic photography art is represented by InLiquid Arts, Saatchi Art, Galerie BMG, Venvi Gallery and Cerulean Art Gallery in Philadelphia. She has also self-published numerous handmade
artist books. For more information on Leah Macdonald's work: http://www.leah-macdonald.com/

About the Exhibition & Book Release

Lost Light Luv celebrates photographer Leah Macdonald’s artistic legacy encompassing thirty years of analogue
photography, master printing, and emotive portraiture. Inspired by the female figure and the challenges women
face, Macdonald’s work is emotionally charged, visually dynamic, and intensely personal. To create each image,
Macdonald collaborated with women who could relate to her own struggles while being brave enough to bare their own. In conversation, the collection of portraits conveys a depth of emotion, self-awareness, and longing.

To create her visual world, Macdonald utilized the historical 4x5 view camera, Type 55 Polaroid film, and
silver gelatin prints created in a traditional wet darkroom. Macdonald’s work was created in the heyday of black and white photography before digital replaced it as an industry standard. As the photography field changed, Macdonald’s work became all the more precious and unique. Additionally, rather than printing in editions, each
photograph in Lost Light Luv is created to be a one-of-a-kind monoprint, a singular glimpse into the complexity of power, femininity, and beauty. This body of work is a love letter to silver gelatin photography itself while simultaneously honoring the stories and individuals illuminated by Macdonald’s lens.

Lost Light Luv is currently on view at InLiquid Gallery through April 15, 2023.

Leah Macdonald: LOST LIGHT LUV

Solo Exhibition & Book Release
Curated by Amie Potsic

Exhibition dates:
March 9 – April 15, 2023 at InLiquid Gallery

Book Release
Book Signing and Artist Talk: March 18, 4:30 - 6:30 PM

Receptions
Opening Reception: March 9, 6 - 9 PM
Closing Reception: April 13, 6 - 9 PM

© Leah Macdonald, *No 21297*, Gelatin Silver Print, 9.75” x 7.5”, 2007

© Leah Macdonald, *No 21270*, Gelatin Silver Print, 11” x 14”, 2007

Click here to learn more about the exhibition and book release, Lost Light Luv.

For more information on InLiquid Gallery, visit: https://www.inliquid.org/
or follow them on Instagram @InLiquidArt.

Banner Image: © Leah Macdonald, No 409, Gelatin Silver Print, 10” x 7.5”, 2012