Work samples

  • Cheeta
    Cheeta
    Gouache, 11in. x 10.5in.
  • Wildflowers 7
    Wildflowers 7
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 7.5in.
  • Other Wildflowers 6
    Other Wildflowers 6
    Gouache, 10in. x 10in.
  • Lake Otters I
    Lake Otters I
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 22in.

About Leah

Leah Caplan lives and works Baltimore. A large part of her portfolio is based on nature and landscapes. She draws and paints the city because she find it fascinating to watch how things move, grow, and change. She knows right from the start that her time with any one subject is limited, so she looks for what is most important and try to capture its truest shapes and colors. 

“Realism” can feel very subjective and was never her… more

Jump to a project:

Zoo

For six years, from September through June, I taught a portrait drawing class. However, in the summer months we would lose our classroom. As an alternative for my students I suggested we meet at the zoo; instead of drawing people we would draw animals. 

Gathering at the zoo was more of a meet-up than a class. We met outside the front gate, went our separate ways to work, then came back together after a few hours to look at each other's projects. 

These drawings were never meant to go anywhere, but having this set time just to sit, observe, and experiment became important to my practice. These drawings have acted as a starting place and helped me work towards other ideas.

  • Deer
    Deer
    Gouache, 22in. x 8in.
  • Porcupine
    Porcupine
    Gouache, 14in. x 11in.
  • Caves
    Caves
    Gouache, 36in. x 22in.
  • Ghost Lemur
    Ghost Lemur
    Gouache, 22in. x 14in.
  • Wet Lands .jpg
    Wet Lands .jpg
    Gouache, 22in. x 15in.
  • MD Birds
    MD Birds
    Gouache, 11in. x 11in.
  • Cheeta
    Cheeta
    Gouache, 11in. x 10.5in.
  • Lake Otters I
    Lake Otters I
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 22in.
  • Lake Otters II
    Lake Otters II
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 22in.

Wildflowers

Like the work from the Zoo, drawing wildflowers started simply as a practice. I drew the flowers  because they were pretty, and complicated, and for the challenge of finishing before they were bought or moved. I wanted, in as simple a way possible, to show their weight and the way they pressed against each other. 

I have found that it is sometimes very hard to keep working. So I create systems during the week, for example making sure I draw at the farmers market even if it has to be before work each Sunday. If I have a system in place I will keep working. To be an artist, which is my goal, I need to practice art. The wildflowers became a system for me.

Over 2020, when it became unsafe to work in a large crowd, I worked on the other wildflowers. These are a series drawn entirely in ink. I worked from photographs I took from the farmers market on other occasions. They look different but their function for me was exactly the same. They gave me practice, they kept me focused, they made me question form, pattern, and design. 

If I were to display this work I would hang these two collections side by side. I like the way that they contrast and they act as a reminder that even systems need the flexibility to change. Also I work from life, it would have felt dishonest to me if my work looked the same when everything in the city was so different.


  • Wildflowers 1
    Wildflowers 1
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 11in.
  • Other Wildflowers 1
    Other Wildflowers 1
    India Ink, 10in. x 10in.
  • Wildflowers 3
    Wildflowers 3
    Gouache, 11in. x 7.5in.
  • Other Wildflowers 2
    Other Wildflowers 2
    India Ink, 10in. x 10in.
  • Wildflowers 4
    Wildflowers 4
    Gouache, 11in. x 7.5in.
  • Other Wildflowers 3
    Other Wildflowers 3
    India Ink, 10in. x 10in.
  • Wildflowers 2
    Wildflowers 2
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 11in.
  • Other Wildflowers 4
    Other Wildflowers 4
    India Ink, 10in. x 10in.
  • Wildflowers 7
    Wildflowers 7
    Gouache, 7.5in. x 7.5in.
  • Other Wildflowers 6
    Other Wildflowers 6
    India Ink, 10in. x 10in.

Walls

These drawings were an experiment. I had drawn them in a sketchbook and they were images I kept coming back to. I wanted to see them large and complete. I worked from life, either outside or with a model, for as long as I could. Then I came inside, reconstructed each piece, and worked from imagination. 
So much of my work is directly observed from life that it was challenging to step away from that way of working. However, not everything can be literally “observed.” An image can be veracious without necessarily being drawn from life. I wanted to explore how something imagined, or partly imagen, could represent a true feeling or idea.
  • Wall I
    Wall I
    Conte Crayon, 90in. x 66in.
  • Wall II
    Wall II
    Conte Crayon, 90in. x 66in.
  • Wall III
    Wall III
    Conte Crayon, 60in. x 66in.