"ARTIST STATEMENT"

My name is Leoni Andrews Dingwall (LAD), I have been deeply immersed in the world of art for what feels like my entire life. However, it seems that only now have I really began my journey into discovering the type of artist I want to be. As well as the rhetoric’s I wish to carry with me. 

I often portray my art through a humanitarian lens, and I believe each piece succinctly captures the nuances of real northern people and places. Undoubtedly, my work will show the world through my eyes, and I feel privileged that through my art I can show others my perspective of the world. I’ve always struck inspiration from my surroundings and the experiences I’ve faced in life. Yet I’d like to think I also create work to bring guidance, support and meaning to others. Something that initiates deeper thought than we are usually capable of achieving. I intend upon creating work for and within communities it shall apply to the most, like the compositions of Keith Haring, Amy Dury, Conor Rogers and Jean-Michel Basquiat. These artists allowed me to look at the art of existence from many new and beautiful perspectives. I would say I have experienced more trauma at such a young age than most people could shoulder. Yet in my work there are elements of such joyous light, you would never know I've seen how dark life can be. I want people to escape whatever pain they themselves are having to shoulder and use my work to do that. Or in other cases, recognise their own experiences in my own and to know they are not alone, a community of council estate kids. 

For the duration of my studies and building my practice, my work has always been very politically and socially driven. One of the previous prevalent themes in my work was a personal tragedy I endured in 2021. The loss of my dad heavily influenced the end of my ‘lovers in art’ college project in 2022, and honestly nearly all my projects since, as it depicted how I see the idea of love and how complex it truly is. 

More recent projects have been focused on socioeconomic stigma; a rough upbringing, crime, addiction and unemployment but how there is still beauty and life to be seen in such strenuous circumstances. I want my work and my own path, from a life like what I've discussed, to serve as a reminder to those in the same boat that the road doesn't end with poverty and despair. You can escape and you can progress. Yet, whether political or personal, I aim to continue my practice to ensure others in similar situations will feel liberated in knowing they are not isolated in their pain. 

For the council estate kids x  

Personal statement attached to my university application 

My infatuation with art vocationally was initiated by the documentary "Street Art Boy" which details the life and works of Keith Haring. A muse for many, I resonate with him as he used his art to better the general life of others; a primary goal of mine. He influenced me to incorporate many classically used techniques in the world of urban art.

Art to me is a form of escapism, a safe place to freely express myself and further my creative ideas. Studying the arts has enabled me to refine my practices through engaging in varied specialist workshops. Creating pieces gives me a form of release and freedom like nothing else. It allows me to express intriguing concepts and explore new subjects that peak my intellectual interests. Haring once said “I am a necessary part of an important search to which there is no end”. 

Fine art appeals to me due to the opportunities to engage in practical work alongside studying theoretical aspects. This fuels my desire to learn from experienced academics to broaden my abilities and techniques. A prime example of this is mathematical equations that have featured in centuries old work like Fibonacci's hypothesis that appears in infamous compositions like 'The Flagellation Of Christ' by Piero Della Francesca. A compilation of geometric brilliance, the Greek philosopher Plato, in his views on natural science and cosmology presented in his “Timaeus,” considered the golden ratio (Fibonacci) to be the most binding of all mathematical relationships and the key to the physics of the cosmos. Knowledge of art history has benefited my practices, as seen in my photography series "Real people, places and things". I conveyed the value of aesthetic disposition, using camera angle and lens magnification to achieve the prized golden ratio.

Overtime I have conducted research into many outstanding practitioners of fine art, one being Tish Murtha, with whom I share many ideals. Hence, I explore my city on bike, capturing unseen moments as an onlooker. I discovered that her most influential articles were captured by pure chance, no calculations just complete realism. Notable, as many photographers like Annie Leibovitz take hundreds of photos to produce the ‘perfect shot’. My art continues to follow the idea of perseverance and improvisation, finding new methods of application and sourcing my own materials in anyway i can. My work has never had a set rule or definer and relies by majority upon chance.