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Barb Leeson Designs is a collection of pieces made from glass, ceramic, pottery, pebbles, stones, and anything else I find pretty or pretty cool.
The materials I use, unless otherwise noted, were found by me on the shorelines of the Great Lakes and other waterways. They tumbled around in the water and were formed by nature but these treasures were not meant to be part of nature. A lot of what I find was lost to the water an awfully long time ago, some are more recent and I hope we move past that mentality of discarding. The process of collecting these long-lost pieces and transforming them feels akin to historical recycling. All the pieces have a story to tell, and some invite me to create a new story for them.
 
Raised by parents who have always picked up “pretty or pretty cool” pieces during camping trips, it was inevitable I would do the same. Pockets are made for rocks and other treasures.
But then you grow up and you are so busy looking ahead you forget to look down.
At least I did until a friend introduced me to beachcombing in southwestern Ontario. And then I started looking down, a lot!
And before I knew it, I had containers of beach glass, pottery, rocks and even a pair of prescription Juicy Couture sunglasses.
So, I started experimenting with my beach finds from an artistic point of view, baby steps.
Then a move, and amongst the boxes of books and kitchen stuff were ones marked “Beach glass” and “Literally a box of rocks”. (And your friends helping you move don’t laugh or question it because they are awesome). I guess that was a sign of my commitment and enjoyment of working with these finds.
Once settled in my new abode I really started experimenting and creating and continue to do so creating assemblages that move, hum and flow.
That is my story.
Thanks for reading it.
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