I caught up with artist Leo Bruno Todd, ahead of his solo show at 17 Midland Road, Bristol.
Hi Leo, congratulations on your upcoming show at 17 Midland. Can you tell me about the Llanthony Priory and why you were drawn to it?
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When I first visited Llanthony, alongside the incredible visual impact of the ruins and the surrounding landscape, what also struck me was a huge sense of history and past lives that had passed through the priory hundreds of years ago. You can really feel the spirits of people from a time gone by who would have endured harsh winters and beautiful summers in this magical place.
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 I think that really shines through in the few pieces of your work that I've seen, they are powerful images in their own right, but they carry a strong sense of place. Are you drawing directly when visiting these places, or working from memory?
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I often do very crude iPhone drawings as a starting point. I work a lot from an amalgamation of memory and photos, some taken by me and some that are internet images
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Oh, that's interesting, I suppose the iPhone is the perfect medium for capturing spontaneity, without too much detail. Can you tell me about how far you travel down that line? All of your work that I've seen definitely depicts a place, but how do you know when to stop adding detail?
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Generally there’s always only one or two elements of a landscape or building that I’m drawn to, and I try to just stick to these initial focal points. Very often I want to stop way before the point I actually end on, but painting is very much like a game of Russian roulette
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Sure, your earlier work with M.A.HÂ gallery appears almost dogmatic in its approach to two or three forms, but this new body of work feels more organic, more generous, maybe. Can you tell me about the more stripped back work that can be seen on their website?
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I studied Graphic Design at Camberwell College and during the course I was always more interested in the illustration and print making side of things and this is probably obvious in my earlier paintings. I left London and moved to Wales about 4 years ago, and it was probably during the time just before I left, when I was visiting wales to find somewhere to live, that I started painting ‘Landscapes’. Now having lived in Wales for almost 4 years, I can't really imagine painting anything else.
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Beautiful! What about the sculptural pieces, can you tell me a little about how those came about?
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Since moving to Wales I’ve been renovating a 17th century Mill and during this process I have done bits of lime plastering and I found this element really enjoyable as It's so hands-on and basic. Just mix up some lime, sand and horse hair or straw and slap it on the wall to patch up any holes, and with any luck it’ll last for hundreds of years. This then fed into my artistic practice, and I wanted to use these materials to make motifs from my paintings.
What artists are you most interested in currently?
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I’ve recently really been enjoying Paula Rego’s work that she made in the early to mid 80s. All the amazing cartoon ish animals and characters are Just incredible
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Oh, it's incredible work. That show of her work at the Arnolfini a couple of years ago was so fun and so scary. Well thanks for taking the time to chat Leo. I can't wait to see your show.
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My pleasure, and thanks for contacting me, it’s been enjoyable to chat with you.
Leo has work in an upcoming show at 17 Midland Road, Bristol.
Private View 6-9pm May 3rd 2024
Show continues 3-9 May
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