"Kitten Napping in an African Tulip Tree" Mural by Leila Currah
This exterior mural was inspired by one of my favorite trees, the African Tulip tree. The whole work measures 13 feet across by 7 1/2 feet tall.
If you are interested in commissioning a mural for your home or business, please contact me at leilacurrah @ gmail.com
"Bob Marley", oil on canvas, 36" x 48" by Leila Currah
“It’s your own conscience That is gonna remind you That it’s your heart and nobody else’s That is gonna judge.” ~ Bob Marley
Bruce Springsteen, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, by Leila Currah
My most recent commission, gifted by one of my lovely friends to her husband for his birthday.
I AM the flower of your perfection
this Word is my fruit
born from the heart of my dying beauty,
petals withered and torn free
my pen oozes rich nectar onto the page
but,
your ears can not know me,
let me spell it on your tongue!
“things are not what they seem”
you taste juice, sweet and intoxicating,
but I am not fruit, nor seed, nor flower!
I AM the reflection of your power
to see, to sense, to experience
the infinite twists of a deeply cognitive,
purely
human
bliss
~ Leila Currah
The Wonder Flask, glass paint on a volumetric flask, by Leila Currah
Science is fun, and so is painting the glassware from my lab!
I work in a Neuropathology Laboratory at the University of Oxford, and every blue moon, we have a clear out of old equipment and glassware. Rather than recycle it, I took this beautifully shaped volumetric flask home with me to paint.
With a background in both fields, I am growing more and more passionate about exploring the ways in which science and art overlap, and the potential for art to enrich the sciences.
So it seemed like a natural thing to do, and a nice opportunity, to turn something designed for use in a laboratory into a work of art.
The Oxford Times’ Limited Edition magazine featured my Sunflowers in Wonderland painting in the July edition in an article about the Curiouser and Curiouser exhibit at the Museum of Oxford. The exhibit is on until September 3rd!
You can see and read the article below.. click the images to enlarge the text.
no darjeeling, thank you
I’ll pass the sugary biscuits
all I want
is a cup full of curiosity
when the hands reach 4 o’clock
let’s make tea time
a free time to see time
bring your rhymes and your riddles
play a tune on your fantastic fiddles
bring your peeping, your puzzling,
your pondering
hand in hand, we’ll go wandering
in the world that’s inside this cup
imagination will fill it to the brim
there’s no room for apathy, and its hum-drum indifference to taste
my cup is filled with curiosity of the highest viscosity!
it simply won’t mix
so drink up this holy honey
and delight when it’s gone
for truth
is all that will remain at the bottom of the cup
when the last sip is withdrawn
~ Leila Currah
Sunflowers in Wonderland, by Leila Currah, acrylic, 48 x 60 inches
An upcoming exhibition, Curiouser and Curiouser, will begin on Alice’s Day, July 9th, in Oxford, in the Town Hall Gallery at the Museum of Oxford on St. Aldate’s Street, just off the High Street.
My work will be featured among other artists, young and old. It promises to be a great exhibit, and the festivities on Alice’s Day will make it a super fun day to kick it off!
More information below…
Text taken from the Oxford Town Hall Website:
9 July – 3 September, 10.00am – 4.00pm Mon – Sat Curiouser and Curiouser… Discover how Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland have inspired different art forms from work by local artists and school children to book covers and promotional images by illustrators and designers.
Featuring historical collections on loan from the Lewis Carroll Society, and fun art and craft family drop-in activities. Design your own Mad Hat or a crown fit for the Queen of Hearts! You can also read the stories written by famous Oxford author Lewis Carroll, or try on a Alice character costume.
Family activities will be available at the Museum of Oxford during opening hours, or in the Town Hall Gallery from 1.30pm – 4.00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the school holidays. There is a charge of £1.50 for the craft activities.
Canna Lilies, by Leila Currah, watercolor, 22 x 30 inches