The Peachtree Corners Artist’s Corner: A Conversation with Blair LeBlanc

Blair LeBlanc is an American artist living between New York City and Atlanta, Georgia. She also grew up in the Peachtree Corners area.

“When I think of growing up in Peachtree Corners, I think of running around my neighborhood, rolling down hills, the smell of sweat and cut grass in the summer, dancing on the kitchen counter with my sister and our friends after school. It was a really normal, magical place to grow up,” LeBlanc said.

Her first solo painting exhibition (September – October 2020. Athens, GA) marked both her transition from photography and her homecoming from a year living in New York City. Recently, her photography landed in international press including Artforum and ARTnews in January 2020. Her next exhibition opens June 2021.

Like the Peachtree Corners area itself, LeBlanc appears to be in a constant state of professional transformation, as exhibited by her recent switch from the medium of photography to her current commitment to painting.

“I completed a project called Sacred Bloom, in March ’20, with Burnaway magazine. Which was a great experience. I got to work with both Executive Director Erin Jane Nelson and Editor-In-Chief Logan Lockner. Erin helped me edit my work and Logan wrote a beautiful lyrical poem to accompany it. What I love about Burnaway is they have a very strong focus, but stay open to oddities. So on Sacred Bloom, I felt guided but they also gave me the freedom to develop it and let it evolve. They are just ideal collaborators.

But, as far as my professional career goes, I think that project marked my last photo work. Since then, I pushed all my chips into painting. I prefer moving forward. I’ve got blinders on and am full force ahead.: LeBlanc said.

When asked about where she draws her artistic inspiration, LeBlanc had many sources to pull from.

“In this new body of work, Dream (2021), I conceptually create a painting for mega art dealer Larry Gagosian. So to make the work, I spent my summer studying the characteristics of what makes a painting that draws record-breaking sales. Surprisingly, the research brought me back to the people that inspired me to be an artist in the first place; Warhol, Picasso, Basquiat. I pulled from each of them and made my version of their work. I think of these paintings as universal or “Blockbuster”. They function in a similar way as a blockbuster movie or a pop song.

The Beatles for example, you can go deep into their history, learn about their philosophy, sexuality, politics, influences, instruments, fashion…all of that. Or, you can just enjoy “I Want to Hold Your Hand” when it comes on at a beach party. Their music has a kind of open complexity that doesn’t ask anything of you, but offers it if you want it. And that’s the quality I hope to capture in my work,” LeBlanc said.

The young artist has a sharp vision for her creative journey that will take her very far, allowing her fans to escape into the brilliant worlds of her making, which are fresh, new and familiar all at once.

Source: Biography info and photo credits provided by Blaire LeBlanc and Blair LeBlanc Studio