"I am intrigued by the way light falls on a surface creating highlights and subtle variations of shadow. My earliest art work using handmade paper explored textured papers and their edges, investigating with the way light and shadow identifies the raised, indented and wrinkled surface. Nearly twenty years later, I am still creating surfaces which allow light to dance over impressed textures and raised cast appliqué creating highlights and shadows."
Leandra Spangler has been interested in art as long as she can remember. As a young girl she spent hours drawing teddy bears and trains and later spent much of her “homework” time drawing on her desk. Her career choice lead her to art education where she taught art in the Columbia Public Schools at West Junior High School. Her passion for papermaking began in 1986 when she first plunged her hands in a vat of pulp during a workshop for teachers. In the subsequent years, Leandra explored numerous ways of making and using paper (handmade and found) as a medium in her creative artistic expressions. Her interest in papermaking evolved to include making books by hand, basketry, collage, creating decorative papers and surface design treatments on fabrics. She calls herself a fiber artist, understanding that her enthusiasm for exploring the many aspects of fiber will lead her in different directions, but she feels she will always return to making paper.
After twenty five years of teaching art in the public schools, Leandra became a full time studio artist in June, 2000. She goes to her studio every day. The twined reed vessels she weaves are covered with highly textured handmade paper. The surface is covered with a graphite emulsion and polished by hand or is painted with luminous metallic color and often includes found objects. Her vessels are shown across the country invitational and juried exhibitions. In addition to the vessels, she makes lamps with handmade paper shades, and paper bowls for the table or wall. Leandra teaches workshops each month in her studio space. Spangler’s studio, Bear Creek Paperworks, is named for the creek which runs close to her home. She lives in the house she grew up in with her husband, artist/photographer Peter Anger, and their happy kitties. |
