Leah Nowak was raised in Alberta on an acreage just outside of Calgary. All through her upbringing her family was a very important influence in her life. Leah spent a great deal of her youth with the many siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and extended family she has. Her strong sense of family has been an inspiration throughout her work.
Leah Nowak is currently a student at the Alberta College of Art & Design studying in her 3rd year of glass. Leah’s present body of work focuses on the investigation of the surface qualities of glass and the idea of revealing what lies beneath; using glass as a metaphor of the human condition. Leah explores the interior and exterior of a form through kiln casting and glass blowing. In her work, whether it be her sculptures, functional vessels and bowls, casted skin impressions, or jewelry, Leah’s designs are influenced by the ideas of layers (connected to the human form) and the process of removing each layer to expose the interior.
Leah Nowak’s life is busy with pursuing her career as an artist as well as a craftsman with her casted impressions and jewelry production. When not working with glass, Leah spends her time with her beautiful infant son named Luca. “Luca has been an inspiration for a lot of my ideas and concepts and I am very lucky to have such a wonderful person in my life”. Leah and Luca spend a lot of time together enjoying the outdoors and being active. In her life Leah feels truly blessed.