Leslie Hunter-Webb is a jeweller fully involved in the art of her trade. Working from her property in Ohaeawai, Bay of Islands, Leslie handcrafts all her own glassware in a creative space shared with her husband, who is a painter. Originally from Christchurch, Leslie has explored the world and settled for a time in the Blue Mountains, Australia. This is where the name Cicada Symphony comes from, with the millions of Cicadas clicking in the bush land. When in the Blue Mountains Leslie co-founded the Blue Mountains Artists Network (BMAN) that is still prominent in the area today. One of her career highlights is being nominated for an Australian Business Art Foundation Partnership Award and receiving the Australian Federal Industry & Enterprise Development Award for her development of artist recognition in this area, which helped overcome the isolation that can happen in a remote place like the Blue Mountains. It is Leslie’s passion for bringing a community together that has led her to be a part of different Fashion Weeks. Every piece of jewellery Leslie makes is made by hand and tested, not designed on paper. For Leslie, lampworking glass and jewellery making is meditative and calming and what she loves most about her work, and the fashion industry, is the colour she can incorporate in her designs. Leslie’s least favourite thing about fashion is sky-high heels but with everything else fashion she describes herself as a magpie. Leslie has searched the world and found the perfect art form to express herself. Cicada Symphony will be exhibited this NZ Fashion Week with colour and artisan techniques.
