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Derek Leka Hometown: West Haven, Conn. Major: Master of Fine Arts – Painting and Color WCSU Degree: M.F.A. in Art – Painting Honors and Awards: 3.9 GPA, Hancock Scholarship recipient Internship: Internship with painter Hugh O’Donnell |
Derek Leka wants to be a painter and a full-time, working artist. He started to pursue that path by obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Purchase College, a State University of New York campus in Purchase, N.Y. Upon his graduation, Leka enrolled in WestConn’s Master of Fine Arts program. “WestConn offered me the freedom I needed to evolve my work,” he says. “There are not many ‘painting’ programs out there. This one has a good balance of structure, freedom and tradition. The department also has a lot of art world connections.”
One of those connections was Hugh O’Donnell, an artist Leka was able to meet and study with through a WestConn internship. O’Donnell is an abstract painter and Leka’s work is based on geometric color abstraction. Leka describes his paintings as “compositions built with brightly colored rectangles.”
Leka already has had some success, exhibiting in group shows in Chelsea, N.Y., and New Haven, Conn. He’s also sold some of his work to private investors in New Haven.
Asked what he will remember most about his WestConn experience, 36-year-old Leka says, “The most memorable experiences would be the many long nights of working in the studio and the feeling of ‘this is what a working artist’s life is like.’”
After graduation, Leka plans to develop his craft in several directions. “I am getting in as many group art shows as I can. I want to find gallery representation and I’d like to try some teaching.”
Leka’s advice to new students entering WCSU is: “Experiment, take chances, and don’t be in a hurry to finish. Get the most out of every class. Take classes during the winter and summer breaks. Take every class offered in your chosen field, whenever you figure out what that is, and take five years rather than four. Take 180 credits for a bachelor’s degree — it’s worth it.”
