The Artist & The Art

Hello, I'm Barb and welcome.

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. 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. I hope we move past that mentality of discarding. The process of collecting these long-lost pieces and transforming them can be considered historical recycling. Some of what I have found has proven to be incredibly old and 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 interesting 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 someone 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. And so, leaning into my long ignored education at George Brown College's Jewellery Arts and Fabrication program, the creating began!

The jewellery I create tends to be simple, highlighting a nice beach find or finds that work together. Some of the pieces I make include beach pottery and let me tell you about beach pottery…Like buttered toast dropped on the floor it usually lands butter side down. Every piece I spy is picked up and turned over, sometimes rewarding me with pattern or colour but often it's a blank slate. A lot of squats go into every piece I find, whether it be beach pottery or glass. A lot.

But that's the fun of beachcombing, you never know what you will discover. And a long slow walk on a beach is good for the soul.

That is my story.

Thanks for reading it.

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