statement

The series began from explorations within a set of marks or streaks‚ that I had noticed were made by brushing powdered graphite across a drawing surface. They began to remind me of illuminations of walls of rock and cascade structures. As the work progressed and matured, I began to see them as geologic structural forms-cave openings, canyons, mountain facades, cliffs, walls, etc. Thus, I began to work in groupings of these structures. As a result, the imagery maintains a degree of formal abstraction, yet can be explored from references to celestial and atmospheric phenomenon. The titles refer to imaginary places, at times borrowing names from geology, mythology, and chemistry for power and emphasis. Ultimately, the works on paper are landscapes that explore an innate, inner region of mystery.

In terms of process, powdered graphite is used with large sweeping brushes to create velvet rich darks. Amounts of varying pressure help create a sense of atmosphere and depth. Masking, subtractive erasing, and a return to drawing with graphite pencils establishes compositional integrity. The drawings were made quickly initially, and then painstakingly detailed for months afterward.

bio

born:1969, Dallas, TX

education:

Arizona State University, MFA 2003
Art Center College of Design, BFA 1997

selected awards/honors

Merit Award, Americas 2011 Exhibition Paperworks Competition. Juror-Victoria Goro-Rapaport
Collection Purchase Award, Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries, Wright State University,  2009
Second Place Award National Juried Competition: Works of Art on Paper  Charlotta Kotik ˆCurator Contemporary Art Brooklyn Art Museum

selected publications

Review of solo exhibition "Molten" Textured Contrasts: Leone at the Carnegie,  AEQAI Magazine, February, Jane Durrell
Review of Four Person exhibition "Geologic Time" Gallery Features Earthly New Collection, Arizona Daily Wildcat, February, Marisa D. Fisher
"Faculty Art Exhibition: The Work of Marc Leone," NorseMedia cable television interview, Aired 2009, Directed by John Gibson
24th Annual Tallahassee International Exhibition Catalogue

selected solo or two-person exhibits

(Forthcoming) "Landscape and Reclamation" Center for the Visual Arts, University of Toledo; Toledo, OH, Curator: Deborah Orloff
"Molten" (solo) The Carnegie Arts Center, Covington, KY Curator: Bill Seitz
"Magma" (solo) Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, Curator: David Knight
Fala Gallery, (two person) Tucson, AZ, Curator: Lauren Gregerson-Brown

selected group shows

Kentucky National 2011-A National Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Murray State University, Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray, KY, Juror: Matthew Strauss
The Big Light Show, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Patton/Mallot Gallery, Aspen, CO;  Curator: Paul Collins, Barbara Bloemink
"Constructed Territory" Stein Galleries, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, Curator: Tracy Longley-Cook
"Papier-Machete"; Gallery5, Richmond, VA. Jurors: Aaron McIntosh, Richard Waller, Amie Oliver