Leah Diekhoff

Leah graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2021 with a BFA in Studio Art with concentration in Painting. Her artwork consists mainly of fantastical and dream/nightmare inspired oil paintings and mixed media. Leah has worked as a gallery co-curator, custom framer, photo editor and artist and has shown in galleries in Indiana, Michigan and New York.

The name, “Studio Phantasmic,” comes from the place I get most of my inspiration: my dreams. The word, “phantasmic”, can describe a ghost, which fits in with my love of the supernatural. However, it can also mean a figment of the imagination, which alludes to the stories in my dreams. My goal is to bring to life these things that are not yet truly alive. Also I just really like the sound of the word Phantasmic :)

Artist Statement

My artwork, inspired by Young Adult fiction novels, creates miniature worlds encased in boxes that tell a story. Creatures and potions, science and exploration, gears and clocks, and whimsical and multidimensional realms fuel my imagination and are prominent subjects in my work.

I capture a specific moment in time for the scenes I create. Often I explore what world I would like to be a part of and how I can configure a narrative that gives me a chance to become a part of that world. I make my figures, props, and accessories from polymer clay and found objects, which are painted, sewn and configured into active environments. I enhance these environments with painted canvases in the background. 

Tension is something I love to represent in my art, whether it is subtle or extremely visible. Books inspire me to envision words as tangible scenes and influence my art to merge the two-dimensional and three-dimensional and represent the process of pulling images from the mind into existence. With my work, I wish to show others a glimpse of the creative world I live in. My work allows for fear and curiosity, for exploration and creativity of the mind to place oneself into a world and finish the narrative, each entirely different from the next.