She is often drawn to the edge of the land through her love of outdoor swimming.
Connie Liebschner is a contemporary Scottish artist who explores how two-dimensional images can capture immersive spaces through multiple layers, viewpoints, and varying opacities. She earned her BA in Fine Art at Loughborough University, where she experimented with printed, photographic, and painted works while developing an interest in translating digital mediums into handmade productions. After teaching printmaking at Leicester Print Workshop, Connie relocated to Glasgow to pursue a Masters in Print at Glasgow School of Art, where she combined her extensive printing knowledge with traditional painterly techniques. As the founding member of the G20 Artist Collective, she has established herself in the Scottish art scene with work held in private collections throughout the UK and Europe.
Connie's Creative Inspiration
Cold-water swimming serves as a profound source of inspiration for Connie's artistic practice. This immersive experience functions as a form of therapy, allowing her to connect deeply with the landscape. She draws influence from the French Impressionist Movement and looks to Romantic artists such as Friedrich and Turner for guidance. Her work also incorporates elements of Japanese aesthetics, finding beauty in softness and natural unpolished materials, as well as embracing the Scandinavian concept of Hygge with its emphasis on togetherness and comfort.
Artistic Technique and Process
Connie's current practice focuses on recreating the Scottish landscape while acknowledging the inherent limitations of two-dimensional representation. By thoughtfully layering her images, she creates depth that draws viewers in through focused segments of interest alongside more peripheral, hazy areas. Her fascination with the boundary between land and water, inspired by her passion for outdoor swimming, leads her to explore how watery surfaces play with, reflect, and refract the formal elements of land, water, and sky. This interplay transforms her work into refined studies of line, shape, and color. Technically, Connie applies translucent layers of chalky gesso combined with glossy inks and acrylics to paint, rub, and scrape the surface, skillfully mimicking the contrasting textures found in natural landscapes.
Recognition and Exhibition History
Since completing her education with distinction, Connie has received numerous accolades including the Dumfries House Residency in association with the Royal Drawing School, the P2P Artist Prize from Leicester Print Workshop, and the Enterprise Office Award for Enterprise and Innovation from Loughborough University. Her exhibition history has grown significantly in recent years, featuring her first solo show "Essence and Location" at ArtCore in Derby in 2017 and more recently "Connie Lieb