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Portraits, Knitwear, Poetry

JULY 1ST, 2025

You know I think I really believe that you *do* have to close a door to open a window, metaphorically speaking. Not even necessarily to, like, MaNiFeSt a thing on a physical level, although sometimes magic does happen that way. I feel it more in the sense that something needs to be cleared out of the mental space to make way for new ideas, perspectives and inspiration.

Lately, I’ve only written once a season, but this letter is finding you in less than a month since the last time you’ve heard from me. However, many things have happened since then and there seemed to be enough to fill a fresh email. For starters, I mentioned I was going to be at Audrey’s Ode popup at boutique Éternelle drawing live portraits of guests, given the theme of the event was “Muse”. That day was a little over a week ago, and it was one for the highlight reel, figuratively speaking. I wish I got a pic of my outfit - I knit myself a pair of hand dyed dusty rose colour shorts, cami and bralette that I wore with a blazer I had that happened to be a perfect match. I accessorized with GG print pink and red Gucci loafers and a little vintage gold lapel pin in the shape of a bouquet of red enamel roses, and big rose gold Chloé sunglasses from early 2010s. I knit up that outfit so quick right before the event, I got the itch to have a couple items available to make on request. I’ve been beating around the bush for the last two years trying to nail down my career plans post-baby, kind of oscillating between fashion and visual art. It dawned on me that nothing was stopping me from doing both at the same time. As a matter of fact, they could co-exist and actually look quite elegant presented alongside each other when displayed intentionally. I think closing the door on social media gave me the mental refresh I needed to see what I couldn’t inside a grid. Within a few days, I’ve thrown together a website of all the work I do.

www.leahlegault.com

PORTRAITS

Drawing people live is an experience like no other. For one, we’re both sitting in silence and making eye contact for 20 minutes. For the subject, I can see that it usually begins with excitement to be drawn that quickly transforms into an uncomfortable vulnerability at being stared at. After 5 minutes, the malaise usually wears off and after about 5 more minutes, they get kinda antsy at not being able to do anything. Meanwhile, I’m mostly just drawing shapes, trying to capture the essence of a person as quickly and as accurately as possible; I’m working equally with technique and instinct. There’s this sort of entrancing point though, when I get into a flow state and the person I’m drawing resigns into somewhat of a meditation, where a version of telepathic communication sets in. It isn’t like The Shining or anything, kinda hard to describe exactly, and very subtle. I don’t think it’s supernatural, it probably has something to do with mirror neurons. I get a real sense of someone’s nature and intentions without them needing to say anything at all - and if we get to talking a little bit after, my perception of them is usually spot on. I wonder if this sense of connection is a channel that goes both ways - if they get a sense of me in the way I get a sense of them. You’ll have to let me know if you ever sit for me.

Speaking of, if sitting for me to be drawn live sounds enticing, I’ve made myself available for portrait session appointments next month. These won’t be speed portraits, but 1-2 hour sittings where I’ll be able to capture you with a bit more precision, select colours and materials with intent. I’ll host you at my home, and if the weather permits, outside by the water where you can enjoy the sound of soft waves and the smell of fresh grass, lavender and roses blooming in the garden. I’ll prepare a bite to eat and something to drink, and we can enjoy each other’s silent presence for the afternoon, testing out our psychic abilities, and you’ll leave with a paper mirror.

KNITWEAR

Like the outfit I mentioned quickly knitting up before the Muse event, I made another quick dress in May right before a friend’s birthday dinner. I’ve been wearing it nonstop since. It’s a very simple little sleeveless shift dress, with no finishing on the hem so it has a casual little curl in the fabric at the bottom. It’s made of a hand dyed denim-sky blue blend of organic cotton and linen that I love wearing because it’s so comfortable, breathable and easy to care for. I’ve been craving ease when it comes to clothes, and by that I mean foolproof, indestructible, gets-better-with-age type of items. The pieces I make out of this yarn are just that, I literally chuck them in the washer and dryer on warm, no special detergent or other instructions. They come out softer every time, so easy to wear and go again and again. The linen makes it cool enough to wear on super hot and humid day, but the thickness of the knit fabric allows it to wear over a t-shirt and pair with socks, boots and a jacket when it’s cool and rainy (the weather this year seems to go from one to the other in less than a week, so the dress has been a staple). I’ve decided this one deserves to be shared, available for purchase. I’m not doing collections or any typical clothing-brand-business-thing anymore, I’ll simply offer to make pieces I’ve already designed for myself, to your measurements, at a reasonable price point. These types of pieces are a day or two of work for me, plus the time to dye and prep yarn (unless you’d prefer the raw, undyed version, which will also be available.) so expect a week or so after placing your order for me to make it before shipping it off. For now, I only have this dress up (I might make a wool version for Fall), but will likely add more as I make myself clothes and refine my patterns.

I also decided to offer the much-more-expensive-but-very-cool custom sweater service. This is for those who want to have something made entirely to their specifications, from yarn to dye to shape, etc. We can design these together, intarsia and fair isle are available as well as everything else I do on my knitting machine, these can be personalized in just about any way. I added more details and photos on my website to give you some ideas of what is possible, but ultimately these types of projects take a month or so to complete, with some back and forth between us throughout the process to ensure I’m heading in the right direction. These can’t be ordered directly online, so please email me at leah@leahlegault.com for custom requests.

POETRY

In the final section of my site you’ll find my art and poems together. I don’t really do this for any commercial purpose, but they act as an expression of myself on a deeper level, a core I think is reflected in my other practices, and it serves a purpose. When spending the day drawing portraits at Audrey’s event, I was in awe of her energy and presence as a hostess. She had like 3 outfit changes throughout the day, each one more eccentric than the last. Theatrical and engaging everyone right off the street, she has a magnetic type of personality that isn’t self absorbed but very self assured. I realized it wasn’t just her charisma that put everyone at ease and in a joyous mood, but also her authenticity. This is how people respond when you’re simply being yourself. I was inspired to keep sharing my art, in the same spirit of self revelation and connection. It should give you a better idea of who you are dealing with if you so chose to have me design or draw your next birthday gift to self, too.

In leaving social media, I was also inspired to keep the art-making going, for pleasure, in the form of zines, greeting cards or other sorts of print media that I could share with you directly in the mail. I don’t want to reveal too many of my ideas just yet, but send me your postal address if you want in. 👀

I still have a few more things to refine on the site, some pictures I want to add and other little details, but it is up and running and functional so feel free to poke around. As always, thanks for being here and reading my letters. This little group of 150 subscribers is my favourite place to share my work and I always love reading your feedback and seeing what you’ve been up to. With that being said, I hope you enjoy the Summer season that’s just getting started and that I’ll get to see (and draw?) your face while the sun is still out.

xoxo

Leah Legault

COURRIER