Kibworth Art Lovers Society – Dec ’24
“Use what you’re good at to change the things you care about”
Olivier Leger
This is the message which inspired ocean wildlife artist, Olivier (Oli) Leger, to use his unique artistic talent to expose the endangered beauty of the oceans and to urge the human population to protect it. At the final 2024 meeting of the Kibworth Art Lovers, Oli spoke of his scuba-diving experiences in oceans around the world. We watched videos of amazing coral reefs teeming with vibrant wildlife. They gave the title for his talk: The Treasures of the Deep. The videos also exposed the disastrous impact of human activity on this beautiful world.
Inspiring Action through Artwork
Oli’s first attempt to inspire people to action through his artwork did not achieve enough for him. His subsequent participation in a documentary for a film festival gave him the confidence and recognition to further create “artwork with a purpose”.
Painting on Jesso board with acrylic inks, Oli began his ambitious project which he has called ATLAS. He expects will take another 2 years to complete. This portrays a turtle carrying the ocean world on its back, just as the Greek Titan, Atlas, carried the heavens on his shoulders. It aspires to tell the story of the ocean through extraordinary drawings representing all aspects of sea life. There are also tiny additions of human interference. Some of which can be seen on the drawings only through a magnifying glass!
ATLAS is on display at the Loughborough Sock Gallery from 30 November to 11 January while Oli will continue to work on it. It was a great pleasure to welcome him to our meeting.
The Kibworth Art Lovers are taking a winter break from meetings until 25th February. At this time, artist David Dunmore will demonstrate botanical watercolour. Visitors are warmly welcome. In the meantime, artwork with a Christmas theme will be on display at the Kibworth MHBS throughout December and work by Sandra Gamble will follow in January. For further information on the Kibworth Art Lovers Society, please email: kibworthartlovers@gmail.com
Jenny Riseborough
A Public Space in Market Harborough for Local Artists to Perform
