Leigh Woodburgess (b. 1977) is a Naarm/Melbourne-based artist whose practice moves between myth and modernity, tracing how archetype, dream, and image intertwine within contemporary life. Working primarily in large-scale, collage-informed drawing & painting, he layers photographic fragments, intuitive linework, and pigment into immersive fields where figuration drifts toward abstraction and back again.
Guided by an interest in comparative mythologies, theosophy, and esoteric traditions, Woodburgess translates symbolic systems into an intuitive visual language — a painterly cartography of the unconscious. His dreamlike compositions reveal a fascination with the liminal, where memory, belief, and perception merge into shifting narratives of being.
With a background in design and expanded painting, his practice spans digital and analogue methods. He continues to develop projects that explore the unseen architectures of consciousness.
He acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land where he lives and works — the Wurundjeri and surrounding Kulin Nations — and recognises that sovereignty was never ceded.
Personal Details:
Leigh Woodburgess (He/Him)
Education:
RMIT Melbourne, Master of Fine Art – Coursework, 2025
Melbourne Polytechnic, Bachelor of Illustration (1st year), 2023
Monash University, Bachelor of Graphic Design, 1999
Gordon Institute-Geelong, Diploma of Design, 1996
Relevant Experience:
Professional Artist, 2007- current
Art Therapy & Life Drawing tutor/teacher, 2010-current
Gallery Manager, Melbourne, 2012-15
Art Director, Art & Design studio, Melbourne, 2001-2004
Selected Exhibitions:
Solo/
‘E&M’, Synergy Gallery, Melbourne 2010
‘Recent works’, Kent St, Melbourne 2007
‘4sail, sold’, Red Gallery, Melbourne 2006
Group/
‘Convergence’, Blindside Gallery Melbourne July 2025
‘MFA Art Auction’, Gossard Gallery, Melbourne August 2024
‘Paper’, Craft Victoria, Melbourne 2005
Copyright © 2025 Leigh Woodburgess - All Rights Reserved.