“Creating these pieces has become a therapeutic a way of biting back and reclaiming my sense of self. I’m reclaiming the validity of my emotions. I’m learning how to feel the anger while still holding on to my empathy without justification of abuse.”

For her forthcoming solo show at Wolff Gallery, Leslie Dorcus has created a new series of paintings and screen prints that visualize the polarizing emotions that emerge after an abusive and destructive partnership ends. Dorcus’s fiercely visceral imagery communicates a narrative of self love in the face of trauma and violence, and the potential for strength alongside vulnerability. With this work she reclaims her story: “I am taking off my layers of protection. I am the one spitting knives."

Leslie Dorcus is a printmaker based in Portland, Oregon. She received her BFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design, and she has exhibited solo shows at Holocene and Flight64 Studio in Portland, as well as at Gowanus Print Lab in Brooklyn and the Woods-Gerry Gallery at RISD. She is a member of Flight 64, a community print studio on Alberta Street.

Opening Reception: First Thursday, January 5th, 2017  6-10 pm 

Exhibition Run: January 5 - February 25, 2017

First Thursday Art Walk: February 2, 2017 6-9 pm