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Leo Saunders is a contemporary artist living and working in Gloucester.

In June 2003 he gave up full time work as a designer, to pursue his career as an artist, and hasn't looked back since.

After exhibitions in London and Gloucester he recently won a commission to create a body of work on the theme of icons.

A self confessed fusion artist, Leo mixes together various media in order to create pieces of work that inspire and stimulate the viewer.

He said: "My particular brand of art is called Fusion art. I'm trained photographically and work with paint and screenprint, and mix them all together. I also use the painter programmes on the Mac, so I'm an artist that mixes old and new to create images."

Opinion poll

Leo at work

At the moment Leo is working on a concept based on a poll he carried out on young people aged between 14 and 25.

He said: "I'm interested in peoples' opinions. Most people know the Andy Warhol screenprints of iconic figures such as Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and I was interested to see who the 14 to 25 age group would choose as their icons today. Would their idea of an icon be different to what we'd assume?

"It's interesting how the word icon seems to have changed and what it means to different people. To me it means almost Godlike but it seems to have been exchanged for the word famous, and now it's more about being megafamous."

Leo is busily preparing for the Icons exhibition but is remaining tightlipped over who will be in the final exhibition but says people might be surprised with the final list.

"I think there will be a few surprises in the exhibition. People who you wouldn't expect to see at all, or maybe haven't even heard of."

Celebrity status

In today's society celebrity status and fame is a growing fascination and Leo finds the whole cult of celebrity a little disturbing.

He said: "A large percentage of people adore celebrities like Britney Spears and it makes me wonder why. What's the greater humanitarian good from aspiring to such people? When you have figures like Nelson Mandela who have affected humanity and then someone like Britney it does make you wonder what it's all about."

Leo Saunders - a talented and unpretentious artist

So what would Leo like people to take away from his work?

"For me my work is all about giving. It's like giving a little piece of me. So if I can give that to the audience that's great. I just want to give something back, so if I can do that in life that's something to be proud of.

"I want people to see how I see things. I love colour, and how colours interact and it's like I want to brighten someone's day."

The exhibition at GL1 is Leo's largest show to date and he hopes it will open a few doors for him.

"I would like to paint pictures where people didn't care what anything was, because they were so enveloped by them.."

Howard Hodgkins

"I did a smaller show in London and a person from the Tate came along who really liked my work and suggested I started working big. Then I won the commission for the Icons exhibition which is allowing me to work on a larger scale.

"I love it when art envelops you and scale seems to give it a bit more meaning."

Future plans

Leo hopes he can make a success out of his new living and continue to produce work that others enjoy.

"I'd like to be successful at what I'm doing, and maybe have international exhibitions and good sponsorship to develop my work.

"I'd also like to move across media, maybe doing more soundwork. I'd also like to have a good mentor, so that's what I'm aiming for."

Take a look at some of Leo's work by clicking on the link below.

Alternatively you can see his Icons exhibition at Gloucester Leisure Centre.

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