TaLeesha

Hi I’m TaLeesha,

My focus is glass and photography, and I'm currently exploring the integration of forms and poetry into my practice. As a student at the Alberta University of the Arts, I’m delving deeper into my work, focusing on the interplay of time, place, and emotions.

In photography, my approach is abstract, beginning with the moment I take the photo and extending into how I choose to develop and manipulate the image. With my glass practice, I experiment with recycled materials, exploring how melting and cooling processes shape the form from the inside out. By cutting into the glass, I reveal its history—traces of how it moved and transformed during creation. Otherwise, I play with laser engraving to add words and symbols to my glass. I use 3D printers to mix mediums with glass to make it stand or to hang glass onto walls

Philosophy plays a significant role in my practice, helping me and my audience connect to the work for interpretations and representation to an environment. At times, the only way to articulate these ideas is through poetry. Each material I use has its own process and language, offering a unique way to express what needs to be said.

I have been exploring man vs. machine and man plus machine in my art practice. Trying new process challenging my understanding of myself and my camera settings. I found the HDR Mode setting. The camera takes three shots in one click: one fast to capture the dark lights, one at the speed I set the camera at for a mid-tone image, and the last shot is a slow one to gather as much light as possible. I can play with the effects of the shot to a natural look, art standard, art vivid, art bold, and embossed. I do not fully like the art effects, so I keep it natural. To lose some control over the image, I set it to auto image align, and my camera compresses it all into one image. There is no human control on the alignment, and if I do not like it, I must be wise in understanding how my camera moves to make an image shift. Once I have an image I enjoy on my tiny camera screen, I hope for the best when I view it on my computer. I take time between when I take my shot and when I put it on my computer. That was one moment to take the shot and another moment to revisit that moment I took. I feel the vibe, and then I work on an image. I use Adobe Lightroom to get more of the ghostly exposure out and a bit of color.