Scroll Drawings: Water Pathway Meditations
In the spring of 2015, Leya hitchhiked across Iceland with an awkwardly large roll of paper. Eventually, she found her way to the Listhús Artist Residency in the small fishing village of Ólafsfjörður. Tucked away in a snowy fjord she bathed in the luxurious privilege of an abundance of time, frozen foods, and geothermal heat. Following a methodical routine, she filled the 24ft roll of paper with an intricate web of intuitive freehand drawing.
In the fall of 2016, Leya Tess left the cherry blossom filled bubble of Victoria and took up residence at The James Black Gallery in Vancouver. There she completed her fifth large scroll drawing over the course of one month. The piece is a response to Emily Millard song 'Toxic Town'. A collaborative video was created with Millard, dancer Sarah Gallos and ARTABAN productions.
Sometime after, she rented a cabin constructed of salvaged artifacts by Jeremy Borsos. There she made The Alder Scroll. Upon completion, it was carried down the road and hung in a moonlit forest at the 2017 Campbell Bay Music Festival.
Toxic Town, 2016
Collaboration with musician Emily Millard, dancer Sarah Gallos & Artaban Productions.
With support from the Canada Council of the Arts.