Leslie Koptcho :
broussonetia papyrifera

a virtual first wednesday opening will be held on brg’s facebook, youtube, and instagram pages on march 3.

the gallery will be open during regular business hours (Tu - Su, 12pm - 6pm) for individuals or groups under 25 people. social distancing and masks are required.

When Leslie Koptcho layers prints of various flora and fauna side-by-side on handmade sheets of paper she aims to create a compelling dynamic in her works between the viewer and the subject of her art. In her debut exhibition as a BRG Artist Member, Broussonetia Papyrifera, Leslie’s works employ intricately detailed and colorful impressions of various plant forms. The large prints that result from her process are presented on handmade paper that uses pulp from the various species of plants that have inspired her.

Koptcho is deeply inspired by the complexities and visual contradictions found in the natural world. Her prints range from richly textured, large-scale intaglios to those employing digital technology and microscopy in combination with traditional printmaking processes. Her prints focus on metaphors for personal identity and boundaries—some fragile—that separate the outer world of appearance from the inner one of private, psychic complexity. By looking closely at her environs, she endeavors to strike chords of empathy for all living things, and to hint modestly at mysteries that are hidden in plain view.

Koptcho is a Professor at Louisiana State University where she teaches Printmaking, Papermaking, and Arts-of-the-Book. She holds a BFA from Temple University in the Tyler School of Art and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Koptcho's artwork is included in nearly 40 permanent collections worldwide including Bibliotheque National de France, Department of Prints & Photographs, Paris, France; Brooklyn Museum; Fogg Art Museum; Library of Congress, Artists' Books Collection; Marion Koogler McNay Museum; Mino Washi Museum, Director’s Collection, Mino, Japan; New Orleans Museum of Art; The New York Public Library, Spencer Collection; Printmaking Museum of Duoro, Alijo, Portugal; Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, Brisbane, AUSTRALIA; and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco/Legion of Honor Museum, The Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books.

Broussonetia Papyrifera is presented alongside exhibitions from Danielle Burns, Libby Johnson, and Matt Morris. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from March 2 - April 1, 2021.