Seasonal Change

As the Summer turned to Autumn, Leon was back out in the Surrey Hills to continue making his work on Box Hill.

Click images to enlarge

The project has now been through a 2 full year cycle and the changes documented have been remarkable. At this time of year there is only a small window of opportunity to capture the changes and Leon can be found once again charging around the hedgerows often lumbering a 10x8 field camera. 

28th AOP Photographers Awards

Leon was included in this years AOP Awards with his 'Box Hill' project entry in the non-commissioned section and 'Cling Film Skull' the still life category.

Cling Film Skull

S-H-A-G!

S-H-A-G or Seriously Hazardous Art Gallery is a collaborative venture by Leons old friend, copywriter, photographer and artist P.A Gillet and former creative director at Dufresne Corrigan Scarlett, Guillaume Gamain.
Leon has agreed to show his work under their banner in France. Here is a taste of the opening night of this new venture at La Blanchisserie in Paris. Leon sold one of his Topography series on the night which is a great start.

Sarah Myerscough Gallery

Gallery owner Sarah Myerscough saw Leons work on display at the Royal Academy show during the summer exhibition and contacted him with a view to representing him through the gallery. His first outing under the gallery name will be at the London Art Fair in January 2012.

Vortex

This image from the Box Hill series sold 5 of its 6 editions at the show.

Conceptual Still Life Project

Working alongside model maker, designer and comrade Wesley West, Leon has made a start on a conceptual still life project. Much of the work will be shot on location, away from the studio using natural light.

The venerable Mr.West

"It's a slow burn project this one. We've got a bunch of ideas and drawings, but every time we try to hook up to shoot, one of us gets busy on a photo shoot or TV commercial. We'll get there...but slowly"

 Here is the first execution........

Hat Band

More Magazine New York

Natasha Lunn at More magazine New York commissioned Leon to shoot 'The Royal Roses' for a story appearing spring 2012.

Leon travelled up to David Austin Roses and set up studio in an upstairs outbuilding that seemed to house nothing but dead or dying wasps and pigeons. Very glamourous!

Makeshift still life studio

a carpet of dead wasps

Despite the conditions Leon persevered and we will post the results when the story appears early next year.

Back to The Royal Academy

 

Leon's work is being exhibited for the second year running in the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition this year.

He has two pieces on show in Gallery VII, Curated by Olwyn Bowey which are a continuation of his Boxhill Project.

'I've never arranged such a big gallery before', this room concentrates mainly on her principal interests: still-life and landscape.

But as well as painting she includes photography, which she admits 'is quite a new thing for me'.

 

'Leon Steele’s large photographic image Heath 15 is a very silvery scene, alive with clematis on the branches of its trees.'

Olwyn Bowey

You can see these pieces exhibited until August 15th.

Smith & Nephew shoot.

Art Director Eric Houseknecht at Woolley Pau asked Leon to shoot a series of Global adverts for Smith & Nephew, one of the worlds leading Pharmaceutical Companies, to release their new product. For legal reasons we are unable to divulge anything else about this project!

Leon and Eric

Hand model in make up

Shot at The Street Studios, London.

Leon directing the Hand model

   Closed set

May 2011: GB Theatre Company Shoot

GB Theatre Company were rehearsing 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Twelfth Night' for their Open Air Shakespeare Tour this year and asked Leon to design and shoot their posters for them.

Romeo and Juliet

Click to enlarge.

Twelfth Night

Click to enlarge.

Make up by Kumi Itou.
Costume by Hannah Gibbs.

April 2011: Boxhill cont..

Leon got back out on the heath at Boxhill just as spring started to peak through with it's colours and textures and just before it took over completely.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

April 2011: Calibre Magazine Shoot

Leon was asked by Matt Warner to illustrate a feature for Swiss watch magazine, 'Calibre'.

The article was called "Have a nice trip."





The idea was to get away from the classic static still life of watches and put some movement and circumstance into the shots, capturing a moment.

The Actor on the floor recreating a fall

Click to enlarge

Setting up the briefcase mid fall.

Adding the Actor into the shot.

Click to enlarge

 

Final retouching by Jon Hempstead.

March 2011: Still life cont...

March 2011: Still life cont...

February 2011: Skull