My artwork is my ‘wabi sabi‘ — a place of rest and centering, a returning to essential simplicity — a piece of paper, a piece of tree bark, dried flower petals, and seeds are the creative elements forming a visual story. They are remnants from Nature wedded with handmade papers, botanicals, paint, ink, gold leaf, objets trouvés, hand-cut and ‘repurposed’ images. Currently, the genre of my works is multimedia collage. The collage pieces are always evolving and evocative of Nature and the world, both micro and macro. Works prior to 2014 were executed with oils, watercolor, tempera, Indian inks, fabrics, botanicals, and objets trouvés. I have been exploring, studying, and creating art for decades. It is the counterweight to my long life as a poet and writer.
Born in Cambridge, MA, I grew up by the sea and the wild cliffs of New England. Nature is my heartbeat. When I was ten years old, my first art teacher was Russian artist Dorthy Segal, a member of the Cape Ann artist colony in Gloucester, MA. Ms. Segal guided us, children, by showing us the masters and letting us find the rhythm within our hearts to express our desire to create something from the depths.
From New England, I migrated to New York City, my Mecca. In Manhattan, I attended painting and drawing classes at the Art Students League and took art courses at New York University. After New York City, my family moved to Pennsylvania. I studied sculpture and drawing at the Fleisher Art Memorial Center in Philadelphia, and painting with John Ivanchenko of the Hicks Art Center Gallery in Newtown, PA.
Current Exhibits:
Solo Retrospect Exhibition – The Plastic Club, April 2027; Solo Exhibition. Juried, Les Nuits Arabes VI / The Arabian Nights VI – Storytelling thru Art, Pennswood Art Gallery, January 2027; Gaia, Our Earth, Juried Exhibition, 10 Selected Works, Fine Arts Gallery of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, March/April 2026; Solo Exhibition, St. Asaph’s Art Gallery, March 2026; Small Works, West Chester County Art Association, December 2025; Small Worlds, Juried Exhibition, Medford Art Center, December 2025; Members Opened Call, West Chester County Art Association, October 2025; Perkins Center for the Arts, Juried Members Show, September 2025: Collective Works; Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights V – Radnor Memorial Library, September 2025; Open Call, Tri-Quarter FQA (Fellowshiop of Quakers in the Arts) Exhibition, Medford, NJ, September 2025; Little Luxuries, Juried Exhibition of Small Works, Mainline Art Center, September 2025; Members Open Call Exhibition, Wallingford Community Art Center, July 2025; Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights IV – Ludington Library, June 2025; Members Medal Juried Show – The Plastic Club, June 2025;
Previous Exhibits:
First Annual Judy Herman Members Exhibition, Juried Show, Mainline Art Center, April 2025; Members Show – Open Call – Chester County Art Association, February 2025; Works on Paper, Juried Show – Medford Art Center, February 2025; New Members Exhibition- Open Call, The Plastic Club, January 2025; 300 And Under, Chester County Art Association, December 2024; Small Worlds, The Plastic Club, December 2024; By And About Women IV, National Competition Winner, Regional Center for Women in the Arts, November 2024; Little Luxuries, Juried Show, Mainline Art Center, September 2024; Group Exhibition, In the Distance, July 2024; Las Laguna Gallery, Politics in Art, Juried Show, July 1st, 2024 to April 30, 2025. Play as Inspiration, Juried Show, Abington Art Center, June 2024, Artwork used for Abington Art Center Promo Card; Group Exhibition: Teachers & Members, Mainline Art Center, March 2024; Storytelling thru Art- Les Nuits Arabes III, Solo Exhibition, New Work, Gladwyn Library, October 2024; Storytelling thru Art – Les Nuits Arabes II, Solo Exhibition, New Work, Radnor Memorial Library, February 2024; Expressions of Radnor, Wayne Art Center, February 2024; Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights – Storytelling thru Art, Solo Exhibition, Ludington Library, September 2023; Las Leguna Gallery, Storytelling, October 5 – 28, 2023; Las Leguna Gallery, Open Theme, July 6 – 29, 2023; Summer Juried Show 2023, Abington Art Center, Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist, June 9th to July 24th, 2023; 159th Small Oils Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia Sketch Club, May 5th through 21st, 2023; Art of the Flower Juried Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April 2023; Domenic Di Stafano Mercurial Work Paper Juried Exhibit, Philadelphia Sketch Club, March 2023; Wayne Art Center Member Juried Exhibit, October 2021, 2022, Wayne, PA; Expressions of Radnor, February 2023, Wayne Art Center; Abington Art Center Summer Juried Show, June 2022, Abington, PA; Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights, Solo Exhibition, Ludington Library, Bryn Mawr, PA, September — October 2023, Bryn Mawr, PA; Elements of Nature, January 2022, with a second show February 2022, J.Maine Gallery, Vorhees, NJ; Visions of Self, February 2022, Yosemite Sierra Artists, Oakhurst, CA; Open Call, Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach CA; Thru the World Lightly, Solo Retrospect Exhibition, May 2000; Spirit Song, Doylestown, PA. In previous years, I participated in community group shows in Bucks County, such as Juried Exhibit Phillips Mills in New Hope, PA, Trenton Museum, Trenton NJ, and New York City community group shows.New Members Exhibition- Open Call – The Plastic Club, January 2025Current exhibits are: 300 And Under, Chester County Art Association, December 2024; Small Worlds, The Plastic Club, December 2024; By And About Women IV, National Competition Winner, Regional Center for Women in the Arts, November 2024; Little Luxuries, Juried Show, Mainline Art Center, September 2024; Group Exhibition, In the Distance, July 2024; Las Laguna Gallery, Politics in Art, Juried Show, July 1st, 2024 to April 30, 2025. Play as Inspiration, Juried Show, Abington Art Center, June 2024, Artwork used for Abington Art Center Promo Card; Group Exhibition: Teachers & Members, Mainline Art Center, March 2024; Storytelling thru Art- Les Nuits Arabes III, Solo Exhibition, New Work, Gladwyn Library, October 2024; Storytelling thru Art – Les Nuits Arabes II, Solo Exhibition, New Work, Radnor Memorial Library, February 2024; Expressions of Radnor, Wayne Art Center, February 2024;
Exhibit List Archive:
Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights – Storytelling thru Art, Solo Exhibition, Ludington Library, September 2023; Las Leguna Gallery, Storytelling, October 5 – 28, 2023; Las Leguna Gallery, Open Theme, July 6 – 29, 2023; Summer Juried Show 2023, Abington Art Center, Ethnicity Through the Eyes of the Artist, June 9th to July 24th, 2023; 159th Small Oils Juried Exhibition, Philadelphia Sketch Club, May 5th through 21st, 2023; Art of the Flower Juried Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April 2023; Domenic Di Stafano Mercurial Work Paper Juried Exhibit, Philadelphia Sketch Club, March 2023; Wayne Art Center Member Juried Exhibit, October 2021, 2022, Wayne, PA; Expressions of Radnor, February 2023, Wayne Art Center; Abington Art Center Summer Juried Show, June 2022, Abington, PA; Les Nuits Arabes/The Arabian Nights, Solo Exhibition, Ludington Library, Bryn Mawr, PA, September — October 2023, Bryn Mawr, PA; Elements of Nature, January 2022, with a second show February 2022, J.Maine Gallery, Vorhees, NJ; Visions of Self, February 2022, Yosemite Sierra Artists, Oakhurst, CA; Open Call, Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach CA; Thru the World Lightly, Solo Retrospect Exhibition, May 2000; Spirit Song, Doylestown, PA. In previous years, I participated in community group shows in Bucks County, such as the Juried Exhibit at Phillips Mills in New Hope, PA, and the Trenton Museum in Trenton, NJ, as well as community group shows in New York City.
The works on this website primarily represent creations from 2019 to the present time. Most are for sale.
What other artists say about Laila Wah’s artwork:
“I really love your artwork. It has all the Elements: Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, and it ‘s ethereal in landscape and beyond. “- Tim Mammel, Artist
“Laila’s artwork is earthy, vivid glimpses of otherworldly places. Organic, ancient, and a moment of time.”- Maureen Maher, Sculptor
“The art is very present, with language of long ages and times. It sings of now and yesterdays.”- Paul Waters, Artist
“The paper canvases by Laila Wah evoke a mindful journey…a visual-sensual experience…they stir the eye with colors, tone, textures, and intricate mass…where one can find one’s own pareidolia experience…” – Mark John Humeny, Wood and Stone Artisan
“Thank you for your support and challenges. Your art is so amazing and I only support it.” – David Erler, Master Craftsman Framer, Forked RiverFramers
