Leigh Witherell has mesmerized art aficionados with her contemporary, modern, figurative artworks. She lives in Melbourne, Florida, and her art captures the intimacies and profundities of human emotions. A lover of earth tones, and her paintings are often toned-down earth shades. The death of her daughter in 2021 caused her deep emotional trauma, and many of her works reflect her pain and how we look at the world when we hide our pain from others.
Leigh Witherell’s approach toward art changed when she lost her daughter in 2021 when she was 32. That changed her not only as a person but also as an artist. She talks about how she has never recovered from that trauma and how it created a hole in her heart that has never healed. It still hurts her when she knows there will not be any more pictures, moments, or times to see how her daughter will grow in her life.
On Using Nude Figures in Her Artwork
Leith Witherell feels you become vulnerable with grief. There is no way anyone can hide from their pain, and she believes that a naked human can be the ultimate representation of vulnerability. She looks at it metaphorically, you remove the barriers when it comes to seeing nudity. That has made her use a lot of nudity in her artwork so that her vulnerability can be seen and felt by the viewers. Grief is traumatic, but it need not be extreme; at times, it can be subtle. She explains the contradictions that come with nude figures in her paintings, though the grieving person is clever at hiding, though they do not feel like they can hide anything.
Art has been expressive and has been effective in conveying a gamut of human emotions. Artists have understood that nude forms are not about flesh; it is all about empowerment, strength, and vulnerability. By painting nude forms, Witherell’s art portrays human vulnerability aesthetically, and in a way, she found the best way to express her pain and vulnerability to the viewers. Her painting, Intimate Equality, is all about the many layers of strength and vulnerability in both the man and the woman. The same can be said about A Moment, where, along with strength and vulnerability, the physical closeness of the man and woman shows emotional security. She uses earthy tones in this, giving a sense of peace and calmness to the viewers. The emotions that jump out of her canvas when you look at them are tangible and convey her distinct voice.
Born in 1969 in Denver City, Texas, USA, Leigh Witherell has artworks that showcase the silent moments that exist between interpersonal relationships. She has held exhibitions in multiple venues around the globe, and her paintings have been published in many magazines. With her personal experience of loss, Witherell delves into human emotions, grief, pain, and intimacy, through her paintings. Her creative journey has been therapeutic for her and enables her to connect with viewers experiencing similar emotions and feelings.
Witherell also gives a lot of credit to her family for her creativity. Her family of storytellers contributed to enhancing her listening skills. She learned to be quiet and listen, to be aware of the spaces between the words. Children, growing up, funny anecdotes, family stories – they all shaped her thinking. It taught her about life and people. It is this skill of listening that enabled her to bring out various stories through her brush strokes. Human life is all about hope and resilience, and Witherell hopes to achieve that through her art.
