Artist Leah Probst
I know we all hated this question as kids, but can you describe yourself?
I am a Toronto-based Canadian artist who grew up in Caledon, Ontario in a creative family. My Father is a skilled pianist, one of my brothers is a musician as well and my oldest brother is a photographer. I have been painting since I was little, however I only started painting more seriously when I graduated high school. I went to Fanshawe College for fine arts where I received an advanced diploma, then continued my education at OCAD U in Toronto to complete my BFA.
“Running Away With Cirque Du Soleil”
By Leah Probst (Submitted to the 2nd Edition)
Oil on Canvas
“This painting was the first of my Cirque Du Soleil series. My first ever painting this large (36”x48”). From the time I chose to leave my life behind and go on tour I knew I was going to create artwork about my experience. I had no ideal it would be a series of the clown at the time, yet here they are. In this particular painting I combined the traditional clown with the modern touch of the magic behind the the show by exposing the in-ear headpiece hanging around his shoulders. This painting was much more about the show, the makeup, the character rather than the situation of the global pandemic that took such meaning in my later work.”
Why did you first begin creating your art?
What inspired me to start creating art was the need to create images from real world subjects, it was almost like a craving for something sweet but instead it was to draw. As my passion for making art grew, I began to focus on acrylic painting and soft pastel drawing using people and animals as my subjects. I loved the challenge of creating a life-like portrait.
“White Clown Laid Off”
By Leah Probst
Oil on Canvas
“The importance of this painting falls on the context of the story behind it. From the first time I saw the Cirque Du Soleil show – Corteo, I was drawn to this character. Little did I know at the time I would end up spending a year watching this very show 3-4 times a week. No matter how many times I watched it, the "White Clown" never seized to mesmerize me, holding my gaze in every act. For the White Clown, appearances are what matters most. He is an authority figure that represents tradition and order. Of all the colourful characters, he admires only the stars and scorns the others. He is the one who opens the door to the magic of the circus. Off stage was when the human behind the character of the white clown reviled himself. Marcello radiated love, sympathy, hope, and joy. In this painting my intentionality was to mould Marcello and White Clown’s personalities together, becoming a proper, yet kind-eyed clown while exposing his authentic humanity.”
what inspires your current body of work?
My current body of work is based on my recent travels touring with the Cirque Du Soleil show – Corteo. Over the past year I have travelled to cities all across North America and Europe, joining my partner who works on the show. Throughout my adventures, spending every day with the cast and crew, we became what felt like, a big circus family. During this time, I developed a fascination with performers, acrobats, and clowns in the contemporary lifestyle of a traditional circus. As I noticed myself becoming accustom to living in the circus – regularly having meals sitting across the table from a fully-suited clown, I knew I needed to make art about this before it became so normal I would no longer acknowledge how unusual and extraordinary my experience was.
When creating work, I aim to capture the physical likeness of the performer and the uniqueness of the individual as a professional circus clown. Based around the original circus aesthetic, the old-fashioned clown costume and makeup is predominate in my work. I convey clarity and honesty to the portrait, inviting the viewer to appreciate the fundamentals of the character. I reveal the individual, looking beyond the show makeup toward the human condition with empathy to the personal connection I have with each performer I paint. The evident slowness in my paintings acknowledge attention paid to the layering of information, built-up levels of paint, and a complexity of mixed colours which bring the paintings to life.
The body of work became unexpectedly more momentous while in production, as the beloved Cirque Du Soleil came to a halt due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Companywide, the cast and crew were laid off and sent home. As I continued to make my paintings the fear continued to grow over conversation of bankruptcy to the company and the chance that Cirque may never resume. Making this work in these unprecedented times has made me treasure the time I was able to travel with the show even more so. Through my brush strokes, I hope that my work can provoke similar wonder, exuberance and offer memories that frolic with the senses that Cirque Du Soleil has brought to this world.
“Bankrupt Booby”
By Leah Probst
Oil on Canvas
“This was the final piece of the body of work. I was painting him as the talk of Cirque becoming bankrupt became the biggest concern of the entire company. The intention for my painting was to portray the beautiful Clown as strong and hopeful, juxtaposing his clown attire. I believe this exact emotion is what washed over the many faces and hearts of the artists as they received the news of the company-wide furlough.”
What mediums do you us? Do you have specific brands?
I currently work in oil or acrylic. I also enjoy soft pastel, sculpture and embroidery. I am not specific about my brand choice. I have always learned to work with what I am given or have. I think there is a beauty to working with what you have and making it work. I love to explore different brands to see what they offer but often times I look for a specific colour rather than a specific brand.
“Working Class Clown”
By Leah Probst
Oil on Canvas
“The underlying inspiration for this piece was the history of the circus as the show Corteo is based so heavily on the traditional circus. Performers who worked in shows like these were of course historically marginalized and vulnerable people. This character has been always romanticized, but the history is a troubled one too. The viewer is able to read his sorrowful face and honor the strong and passionate lifestyle of a clown who is losing hold of his very profession, which has a very long and very complicated history. Clown paintings in themselves carry with them the unfortunate association of non-serious 'kitch' art, however my work is the exact opposite as it was created from very serious and unfortunate real life events – loss of work due to the global pandemic.”
How do you work through a creative block?
When working through a creative block I often just go with the first idea I have. Preliminary work has never been my forte. I will often times just think of an idea and go with it and the creativity will flow naturally through the process of creating the work.
“Wading In”
By Leah Probst
Oil on Canvas
This self portrait I created was a study in creating the illusion of water through paint. I like to create self portraits in different times of my life as a study to see how my ace changes overtime.
What advice would you give a fellow artist?
A piece of advice I would give to a fellow artist would be to trust your artist practice. Take what you will from formal education and what others say is the right or wrong way but also know that you are a unique artist and there is no one else that has your flare. Art is subjective and there is no right or wrong when it comes to your work. Own it and keep doing what feels right.
“Conflict”
By Leah Probst
Soft Pastel on Paper
“In this portrait, I used techniques I learned from past pastel drawings regarding tone, depth and texture. This piece focuses on emotion and how they can be portrayed by using specific composition and angles. I chose to draw on textured pastel paper to capture the texture of the skin in my subject as the fragments of pastel fall into the groves of the paper. The highly contrasting lighting on the subject allowed me to create the illusion of texture and depth in the face and features. In this work, I strived to create readable emotion in the man’s face and eyes so the viewer questions what this man’s story from the look on his face.”