Work samples
About Leo

Leo Louise Cunningham (they/them) is a queer and trans non-binary artist, maker, and educator from Baltimore, MD. Their work celebrates non-conformity, mutualism, and patterns of brilliant abundance—often featuring intricate carved and burned patterns and bold colors contrasted with natural wood grain. Their creative practice challenges inherited notions of individualism and self-sufficiency while embracing resilience and cooperation in nature. With a passion for “queering” woodworking… more
Big Stick
Inspired by brightly colored snail eggs, Big Stick (2024), is a testament to nature's abundance of possibility and celebrates the freaky weirdness of animal reproduction all around us. This piece of locally harvested driftwood became a perfectly grotesque canvas; its branchy protrusions have been carved into hundreds of pink orbs, carved one at a time using a micro-motor rotary tool.
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Big Stick
22’’ x 10’’ x 11’’
driftwood, acrylics
2024 -
Big Stick
22’’ x 10’’ x 11’’
driftwood, acrylics
2024 -
Big Stick
22’’ x 10’’ x 11’’
driftwood, acrylics
2024 -
Big Stick - Process (1)
Carving process for Big Stick.
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Big Stick - Process (2)
Painting process for Big Stick.
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Big Stick - Process (3)
Painting process for Big Stick.
Multitudes
These sculptures celebrate mutations and multitudes as metaphors for non-conformity and growth—freaky patterns that challenge dominant narratives rooted in scarcity, competition, and individualism.
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Multitudes on Scrap II
5” x 1.5” x 5.5”
wood scrap, acrylics, plant-based wood finish
2023 -
Two, or More?
5” x 6” x 5.5”
driftwood, wood scrap, panel nails, acrylics, plant-based wood finish
2023 -
Sick Twig
5” x 5” x 5”
driftwood, acrylics
2023 -
Spalted Maple Multitudes Box
8” x 4’’ x 3’’
wood, acrylics, plant-based wood finish
2024 -
Multitudes on Reclaimed Drawers
8'' x 4'' x 4''
Reclaimed cedar drawer unit, acrylics, plant-based wood finish
2023 -
Multitudes on Scrap I
18” x 5” x 1”
wood scrap, acrylics
2023 -
Stranger Things
3’’ x 1.5’’ x 1.5’’
wood, acrylics
2023
Boxes
I'm perpetually in search of quirky canvases to explore new patterns. Wood scraps—leftover and reused from others' projects—inspire these small boxes, some sculptural, some more practical.
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Small Walnut Vine Box
3.5'' x 1.25'' x 1.75''
wood, plant-based wood finish
2024 -
Mahogany Pattern Box
5.5'' x 2'' x 1.25''
wood, hemp oil
2024 -
Oak Scrap Box
2” x 9” x 2”
wood scrap, acrylics
2023 -
VIne Box
4'' x 4 '' x 6''
wood, acrylics, hemp oil
2023 -
Spalted Maple Moon Box
8” x 4’’ x 3’’
wood, acrylics, plant-based wood finish
2024 -
Reclaimed Cedar Drawers
3.25’’ x 3.25’’ x 3.75’’
thrifted mini drawer unit, hemp oil
2023 -
Pink Pine Box
4'' x 4'' x 6''
wood, spray paint
2023 -
Black Pine Box
4'' x 4'' x 6''
wood, leather dye
2023 -
Multitudes Box
3.5'' x 1.5'' x 1.5''
wood, acrylics, India ink, hemp oil
2024