Gayl Leake

'Using traditional joinery and predominantly Australian timbers, I like to make furniture with fluid, organic shapes creating an overall impression of lightness. These intersecting curved shapes require careful handwork including carving. Open or skeletal structures can effectively define negative space and suggest many forms found in nature. I often use botanical motifs in the fretwork and decorative elements of my furniture. By using less timber and a discerning design aesthetic, I try to make the best use of our precious fossil resources.

I completed an Arts Degree with Honours in Fine Arts at the University of Sydney before doing the Diploma in Wood with George Ingham at the ANU (Australian National University) School of Art in 1987. I have enjoyed complimenting the practice of woodwork with writing critically about art and have published articles in Ceramics, Art and Perception and The Gardens, the magazine of the Friends of the Botanic Gardens.'

'I wanted to make a piece for this exhibition that explored the idea of the forest and the plants and animals that inhabit it. This zoomorphic design was inspired by ancient roman furniture, which often used animal shapes such as lions or horses legs as structural elements. The title "Arcadia", referring to a forest in antiquity, has a two-fold association; one is the darker, beastial side of nature, but the other is nature in its ideal state.'

Gayle-Leak-in-workshop-with-Bat-board-by-Leon-Sadubin

Inventory

Arcadia Occasional table

Batboard Small cheeseboard x 3

Batboard Large cheeseboard x 4

Platter Square platter

Platter Rectangular platter

Botanic Gardens Trust, Sydney, Australia

Support us

Gayl Leake

Inventory