Through the Looking Glass
by Lee-Ann Ormandy-Becker
Lee-Ann Ormandy-Becker, a native of Mbabane, Swaziland, was born in 1962 and moved to South Africa with her family when she was two years old. She currently resides in Rooiels, where she devotes her full-time efforts to her artistic pursuits in her studio.
Lee-Ann’s artistic process involves working with both clay and oil paint, both of which reflect her fascination with texture and tactility. Her artistic statement reveals a strong emphasis on the subconscious, memory, dreams, mythology, and emotion. She strives to use paint as a tool to create poetry and convey her artistic vision, while clay serves as a medium for the expression of her subconscious thoughts and emotions.
Ormandy-Becker’s recent collection for her solo show “Through the Looking Glass” is a captivating and multifaceted one that operates on various levels to elicit an array of responses from viewers. On one level, the title suggests a world that is inverted and alien, where things that were once familiar become strange and unfamiliar. This theme is one that resonates deeply with Lee-Ann Ormandy-Becker’s artistic approach, particularly her exploration of the subconscious mind. In this realm, thoughts and feelings can take on different forms and be expressed in ways that are unconventional and unexpected. The subconscious can be a place of paradox, where contradictions coexist, and meaning is elusive. Lee- Ann’s desire to explore this terrain is evident in her artwork, where she delves into the surreal, the illogical, and the wondrous. By encouraging viewers to join her on this journey, Lee-Ann invites us to suspend our assumptions and explore the hidden depths of our minds. Through her art, she challenges us to look beyond the surface and embrace the unexpected and the mysterious, opening up new avenues of perception and understanding.
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