Hurtling
through the Dutch countryside on a particularly grey Monday morning and
travelling in a north-easterly direction away from Groningen, Kim and I headed
for the little village of Ee (pronounced ae) to interview our next artist,
Leona Leppers.
Both not
having an awfully good sense of direction, even with the electronic route
finder chatting merrily away on the dash board to itself, we wondered if this
time we hadn’t gone a little far in pursuit of an article. But perseverance
pays off and as we rounded the corner we were pleasantly surprised when we saw
the house. A jewel on the landscape, this little house could almost come
out of a fairy tale book with its garden filled with colourful objects,
candles, mosaic slabs and streamers fluttering in the wind.
Leona opened
the door with a welcoming smile, clothed and be-jewelled from head to toe
in her amazing Technicolor creations and invited us in for coffee. Inside,
the house comprises of two main rooms with an adjoining kitchen and Leona’s
work can be seen from floor to ceiling in every nook and cranny. Just when you
think you have seen it all, you discover another creation.
Creative
from an early age and having previously worked as a drama therapist the
dramatic change in her life came when her contract wasn’t renewed and she
decided to look for something else. She was asked to take part in a fashion show
entitled ‘Regal & Kitsch’ where for the finale she created a queen’s
costume using the materials, which have now become her trademark style. Later
she continued by making bags on request, which in turn has led to soft
jewellery, interior objects and workshops for women interested in learning how
to make her colourful designs.
The colours
she uses are bright and the materials sumptuous, fluffy and velvety making you
want to touch them and pick them up. Her designs are decorated with beads,
unusual bits and bobs, shells, felt, in fact anything she can lay her hands on
to decorate. All this she finds at markets and in curiosa shops, saying she has
a nose for finding what she wants. This makes her work always refreshingly
original. Influences in her designs come from music, and from travel books on
India and Africa as well as religious icons taken from Christianity and
Buddhism.
Leona doesn't live
in the house anymore; she lives a stone's throw away over a little bridge in a
larger house. There just isn’t enough room for her family any more, comprising
of two sons (aged 9 and 12) and her partner. The little house is used as a
gallery and studio for her work. She also has the intention of starting up a
Bed & Breakfast in it for those wishing to escape the pressures of city
life.
The house is
also very symbolic of her life and personal growth over the years. Having first
found the house when it was more or less condemned, with a mud floor, straw
walls and no electricity or running water, Leona has breathed life into it and
lovingly restored it to its present state. She has made it hers and filled it
with a riot of colour and life, it is a haven where she can be herself without
the need to explain herself in any way.
Find out
more about Leona’s colourful work on her website at: Leona Design
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
