Who or what inspired this exhibition?

I have always been passionate about planet earth and all who room it. My works mostly focus on the beauty of the natural world so I loved the idea of creating an inspiring exhibition that could raise awareness for climate change. I recently met Gabrielle Du Plooy founder of Zebra One Gallery and we hit it off immediately. We decided we wanted to bring together my works and the works of other artists who also celebrate the planet’s flora, fauna and ecosystems through their work for a charity exhibition. The name ‘One Planet. One Chance’ came up while we were brainstorming and we fell in love with it! It’s been a whirlwind but the reaction to the exhibition has been so positive.

What is your favourite piece within it?

I absolutely love Chris Fallows lightbox photographic encounters. I’m a huge fan of Elephants so any of those pieces.

What’s in a name? ‘One planet…One Chance’ this is a very powerful statement.

‘One Planet. One Chance’ is a very powerful statement indeed, and very true. It’s time to take action for our actions and really wake up to the fact that there is no second planet so we have to look after this one that we as humans have polluted, contaminated, soiled and poisoned.

Tell me about your work with Sea Shepherd and Cool Earth…

I’m really excited and proud to have both charities on board with this exhibition. I’ve been an ambassador for Cool Earth for some time so I thought of them immediately as I’m always looking for ways to support their efforts in protecting the rainforest and the communities that live within it. The protection of our oceans is also very dear to my heart so Sea Shepherd UK’s mission to protect the habitat and wildlife in the world’s oceans felt like the perfect fit for this exhibition.

What do you want people to take away from the exhibition?

I would love for people to be inspired by this exhibition and be a little bit more informed about what they could be doing for the planet. The collection of works, I hope will be a source of inspiration and maybe some kind of awakening. They can purchase a piece of artwork if they so desire or feel moved to, and a percentage of sales will then go to the charities which provides real tangible help towards both charities efforts.

Why now?

Because we are in a climate crisis – there has never been more of a time to do this than now. This exhibition is full of beauty but really highlights a multitude of problems our planet is facing from plastics in the ocean to species extinction. There isn’t any time to delay, that’s why now is so important.

Do you feel anxious about the planet’s future?
Yes I do feel anxious about our future for the planet, this is why I’m really happy to be raising awareness through ‘One Planet. One Chance’ and help in any way I can – every little bit really does help.

A day in the life of Leah Wood

On a typical day I would wake up around 7am and help get our kids Maggie and Otis ready for school. Like most families this can be a little chaotic but we are out of the door by 8:15. Once I get back I’ll have some breakfast – I’m vegan so love to have something simple like Avocado on toast. I’ll spend most of the day working on whatever project I have on at the time whether it’s creating new artworks for sale or exhibition, or a collaboration I might have with a brand for example. I’ll head out to collect the kids and cook dinner for everyone at home. After the kids are bathed and in bed I like a chilled and early night most nights.