The Mundane and Surreal Come Together in the Work of Brooklyn Artist Leigh Ruple

Leigh Ruple finds inspiration for her drawings and paintings in “geometries and patterns from the local architecture” around her studio in East Williamsburg. “These structures operate as stages that allow for lively events to occur, such as cats roaming an empty lot, a man painting a door red, or a sparrow flying past a blooming rose bush,” she told Brownstoner.

Mundane scenes are infused with a surreal dreaminess in her work. All the details are recognizable, ordinary things you might see on any day walking around your neighborhood. But there is something off, a few details out of place that turn the everyday abnormal.

“I ground the work in reality by creating light sources, spaces, and references that are convincing,” she said. “Yet I use my imagination to create a grander, more fantastical narrative than what ordinarily appears.”

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in the Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Brownstoner magazine.

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