Leckie Gassman has two modes of production that he explores equally in his glass. A naïve formalism imbues his range of work based on historical objects; bottles enameled and engraved to imitate kimono fabrics, vessels whose forms and bold patterns quote the Japanese Art Deco era bronze work of Eiichi Kanamori. These works celebrate and refresh history while laying the groundwork for Leckie’s more expressive style.

In his complimentary range of work, surprisingly spontaneous imagery is riotously scrawled automatic-writing style on elegant, extenuated forms. These works rewind graffiti to the origins of the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"); freely and spontaneously engraving his Picasso-inspired characters that would be equally at home on the walls of a highway underpass. His work bites into the zeitgeist of the high/low populism that defines our moment. The delicate elegance of the free-blown forms that are his canvas, provide a pleasing contrast to the raw imagery.