Today we’d like to introduce you to Leo Ransom.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When in high school, I took Home Economics. I was a natural with a sewing machine and learned to piece quilts during this time. After high school, I couldn’t afford fabric being a college student. So I didn’t do any quilting after that until 1998 when trying to come up with an idea for a craft for the family auction at our annual family reunion. My friend’s mom bought a quilt. From that point on, I decided to try quilting watching many episodes of Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson.
I am pretty much self-taught except for what I learned in high school. But traditional quilting got old, and I was ready to give up on quilting altogether. I was being invited to check out the local guild. I was working two jobs at the time with one of them being a nighttime factory job. My part-time job was at Joann’s Fabrics. I had just been laid off that morning and was at work when a guild member who had been inviting me for some time came into the store. I wanted to connect with the African American heritage of quilting, so I went that night. There were no African American ladies to connect with that night, and I went again the following month (you could visit twice before being expected to join). The second month there were two ladies. I was chatting away with one of them when they introduced the speaker for the evening. The lady I was speaking to was the presenter. But there was luck for me because she did art quilting and was going to be teaching a workshop. Specifically, she taught portraiture quilting. I didn’t immediately fall in love with the technique. It took two classes before I understood it, and when I did catch on, I took off running with it.
Now eight years later, I am a Master Art Quilter and an instructor at various quilt shops around the DFW and surrounding areas. I also present my journey and teach workshops to guilds throughout three states so far and expanding. I have numerous quilts traveling the globe and am always looking for an exhibit to share my passion. One of my favorite exhibits is an all men’s exhibit in Golden, Colorado, which is held every two years. If I get accepted this year, it will be my third continuous exhibit. Also, I have won numerous awards as an artist, and an art quilter sold many pieces of both and want to one day do a solo exhibit to feature both canvas art and quilted art.
Since I have been teaching, my students have taught me as well. They have taught me how to step outside of my box. Both in color and fabric print/texture. They have innocent minds to the process, and most are willing to jump in with both feet. That is where they have taught me to not be apprehensive about a choice I make during the process of creating. Besides, if I don’t like it, I can always change it.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been smooth at all. I joined the guild that I mentioned, and they convinced me to teach a workshop to them. Little did I know that when I entered a quilt show following that workshop, I would have to enter as a Master Quilter. So basically, I never got to be a beginning quilter. After going to that show, I realized that I wasn’t quite as good as I thought that I was or that people convinced me that I was. A lot of people took note of my work and would soon come to know who I am, but that still wasn’t enough. So I vowed at that moment not to enter another show until I thought that I could compete with the big dogs. The next show that I entered, I felt very confident. The only thing is you never know for sure what the judges are looking for, so; you are flying blindly into a competition. Five years later, I entered again after getting a third in a far off competition. I corrected my one flaw on the quilt and entered it into the Dallas show. Nothing! Nothing at all. I was really discouraged because I did my best. After seeing all of the quilts I was up against, I realized that everyone else had upped there games as well. So then I decided that I would come out with something that no other quilter had tried. By the Dallas Show of 2018, I had done it. I received a 1st place Master Quilters Award in the Art Division. That was the beginning, and now it appears that I am slowly making a name in the quilting world. People are starting to know who I am and recognize me when they see me in public.
Please tell us about Leo’s Lasting Images.
Well right now I don’t have a business, but I am hoping in the next 3-5 years to have a small business. When I am not teaching or doing workshops and classes, I would like to be able to quilt for the public. I want to be able to share my creativity this way as well as creating some amazing and heirloom pieces for people.
I specialize in silhouette portraits. Came up with the idea when wanting to give my work to family and friends as gifts. Now I create my fabric portraits onto canvas to be enjoyed by many. I also do the layering technique onto canvas. There are some art quilters who put their pieces onto canvas, but no doing it the way that I do.
I am most proud that people are contacting me for commission pieces to be done. While leaving my Midwestern Men’s Quilt Retreat in Tulsa, I stopped for gas on the outskirts of Tulsa. I had a piece of Jesus Christ that I was working on strapped into the passenger seat. A gentleman who was getting gas kept staring. He went in and paid for his gas, but when coming out asked if that was a painting. I explained to him that it was fabric. He wanted a closer look still not believing me. He asked for a business card and had emailed me by the time I had gotten home. He wanted me to do a commission of his deceased wife using my technique. That piece brought me such great joy, but not near as much as it did the husband. This was truly a great compliment, and that was when the commissions started.
What sets me apart from others is that I have a technique to protect the raw edge applique on my work. People are so amazed that it is fabric and they want to rub on the piece. This way if they do, then it doesn’t deteriorate the artwork.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory was being able to go into the kitchen with my grandmother and help her bake. She was an amazing cook, and her desserts were to die for. She taught me pretty much everything about baking.
Contact Info:
- Email: goldennitro07@gmail.com
- Instagram: goldenitro07
- Facebook: Leo’s Lasting Images and/or Ransomedartwork
Image Credit:
Leo Ransom
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