Check out Steven Leganski’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Leganski.

Steven, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
When I reflect on my evolution as an artist, I think about the first time I used a camera, a 35mm Minolta given to me by my father who always had a love and passion for photography. I remember he gave me a detailed lesson about aperture and shutter speed and quickly I was off into the wilderness capturing the wonders of nature, the diversity in my city, and portraits of family and friends.

During that time, my family mentor and university professor, Dr. Keith B Armstrong, invited me to audit his graduate photography course at DePaul University where I studied his book, Visual Pathways to the Inner Self and learned a process he coined, reflective-self-mentoring. It was through this process that I began to gain a deeper understanding of my life by uncovering repressed emotions, identifying social biases, and seeing how human oppression has impacted people in society. This was such a pivotal time in my life as I was transitioning from working construction and beginning my undergraduate studies at the community college. I realize now that the evolution of hope and insight changes a person in a way that I will testify to as the beginning of living. I am a photographer, but I no longer have to hold a camera. My eyes are open to see the world and the struggling people in it.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a photographer, I capture landscape and abstract images in nature and society. I focus primarily on subjects that are as they appear (single-exposure) or are naturally altered over time (long-exposure). What inspires me is how the forces of nature shapeshift our natural landscape and how it metaphorically relates to our life experiences, relationships, and cultures to which we identify and associate meaning.

For example, I was photographing an old staircase in the city where the bottom three stairs were cracked and old, but the top 3 were new and rebuilt. I used the process of reflective-self-mentoring to interpret this unique relationship as the bottom three steps were a reflection of my childhood and how the dysfunctionality of my parents’ relationship and their divorce affected me as a teenager – cracked and broken.

The top 3 steps, however; were fresh steps, strong steps, new steps that move away from a dysfunctional past. I realized that I have poured new concrete as an adult as I have built and maintained healthy relationships. As they say, history has a tendency to repeat itself; fortunately, photography and reflective-self-mentoring has helped me to evolve.

Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I am not sure if the role of artists is changing but as technology evolves I do see how it influences the creative direction of photography. Recently, I have been studying photographers that use software programs to stack multiple exposures to create a single photograph that appears otherworldly and multidimensional. I am always intrigued by these images and how photographers use programs to create their vision of their art. Inadvertently, it sparks and inspires my own sense of creativity which pushes me outside of my comfort zone and reminds me that I am always a student of photography. I credit a lot of my increased skills to one of my favorite photographers and teachers, Taylor Kirkman.

I think that local events and issues have affected me as an artist in two ways (1) Limited access to remote locations (accessible only by lottery). (2) Irreparable damage to natural environments because of graffiti/physical destruction, littering, and land erosion. I believe we all have a responsibility to uphold our integrity as human beings treating national parks, forests, wilderness areas, and state parks, etc. with a “leave no trace” philosophy so that people who come after us, as well as future generations, can appreciate the integrity of our lands. As an artist, I hope that my photographs inspire people to adopt a similar philosophy.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Please feel free to view my photography on my website, www.stevenleganskiphotography.com, on Instagram: @leganski and photographs that were recently published in, Dr. Keith Armstrong’s new book, Emancipating Untold Truths Through Autobiography. You can also follow me on my Instagram where I regularly post photographs and stories as well as any upcoming art shows.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stevenleganskiphotography.com
• Email: stevenleganskiphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: @leganski

Image Credit:
Taylor Kirkman – @bluejaytaytay (Picture of me in the blue sweater)

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