You may—or may not—know who Leah Rene Welch is, but if you are lucky enough to call Richmond Beach home, you most likely have enjoyed her delightful artwork in our community. Welch is the artist behind one of the 22 orcas that were created in 2016 as part of the RBCA Beach Orcas art project. Celeste the Cosmic Swimmer—as her orca is known as—is located at the Richmond Beach community sign at Richmond Beach Road and 8th Avenue NW. “That meant so much to me that my orca had been accepted,” Welch recalls. “The moment I heard about the project, I knew exactly what I would do; I knew I wanted to do the night sky.”
As a resident of Innis Arden for 26 years, Welch had many fond memories of lying in a backyard on her son’s trampoline trying to name the constellations with her family. Thus, for her orca piece, she stayed close to home by incorporating the constellations visible in the Richmond Beach area during the summer months at night. As an artist, Welch is known to experiment with different painting instruments, such as kitchen tools or credit cards. To create the unique background on Celeste, she chose to use the palms of her hands. “I used acrylic paint, which was tricky as it dries very quickly,” says Welch. “I came up with a formula to keep it wet for longer so I could blend the colors really well.” To make the piece even more striking, Welch decided to use Swarovski crystals as stars and to paint the constellations with metallic oil paint.
Celeste the Cosmic Swimmer - Photo courtesy Leah Rene Welch
Although Welch’s journey with art started at a very young age, it is hard to believe that she is mostly a self-taught artist considering how original, diverse and vibrant her work is. “My mom really got my artistic interests going,” she says. “I remember sitting at the kitchen table with her, teaching me how to draw, when I was five years old.” Welch’s talent was also quickly recognized by others. Impressed with her potential, one of Welch’s fourth grade teachers offered to pay for a summer program at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. “I remember feeling so intimidated as all the other students were so much better than me!,” Welch recalls. “Taking the course made me realize I still had ways to go, and that I needed more work and practice.”
Bee’s - Photo courtesy Leah Rene Welch
Welch’s inspiration often comes from her mood—how she is feeling at the time and the world around her. About three years ago, she opted to switch to a lighter color palette as—with the political situation at that time—she felt like she “needed some calming in her world.” Little did she know that year 2020 was to provide plenty of opportunities to continue with her soothing color choices. “When we had to shut down our gallery at the beginning of the pandemic for three months, I thought that was it; I was thinking very pessimistic thoughts,” Welch recalls. And then, something remarkable happened. People who had seen the paintings in the windows of the gallery started reaching out to purchase them. “We had this incredible support from the community, and I had to paint even more to have an inventory!”
Welch felt lucky to be able to go to the gallery to talk to customers and hear their experiences this past year. “Many people appreciated being able to come in, enjoy the art and forget about everything else going on in the world, even if it was just for a few moments,” she says. Although Welch admits she wishes that her fourth grade teacher and her late mother had lived long enough to see her pursue her dream, she finds plenty of joy in sharing her pieces with the community around her.
Welch’s work can be found in Gallery North in downtown Edmonds, Parklane Gallery in Kirkland and on her website leahrene.com. She will be a featured artist in Gallery North in the month of July. Please be sure to stop by to get a taste of her inspiring and delightful work if you can.
This story was published in May 2021 issue of Richmond Beach Community News