EXIBITION ESSAY

Leigh Salgado: Works of Wonder
by Kene J. Rosa

With the precision of a skilled surgeon, Leigh Salgado wields an e-xacto knife and creates out of paper, works of wonder that beg the question: “How does she do that?”

Her cut paper works are precise, intimate and sensual. Ms. Salgado’s imagery is predominantly of women’s “intimate apparel” however, the resulting works look like the colorful, complicated works of Henri Rousseau.

A San Diego native and an artist with an extensive exhibition history, she has a collector base that is impressive. Her inspiration and foundation for her work comes from Chinese Jianzhi and Japanese Kirigami cut paper traditions and the “papel picado” tradition from her Mexican heritage. The pieces look delicate, and are to an extent, but they are not weak. One would be wont to use the pejorative description of “Women’s Art”, but they are not!

Salgado’s pieces are a tour de force of color, precision and technique. These are provocative works that challenge the viewer as to what these lacy, mind-boggling images represent. Are these soft garments strewn about haphazardly or are they little windows into The Garden of Eden? To put it mildly: Leigh Salgado’s work is a real cut above the rest.