Leila Victorin

Artist Biography:

Leila Victorin (aka Leila A Creates) is a Haitian-American, New England raised, California-based painter whose work focuses on portrayals of both current and historical Black figures and themes. Her portrait styles fluctuate between strong gestural figures and strikingly sharp uses of color meant to present Black faces in expressive and unexpected ways, mimicking both classical and pop art styles.

Over the last five years, Leila has participated in a number of collaborations, solo exhibitions, live painting events, and mural projects in Michigan, Indiana, New York, and California, including most recently, a 224 ft mural commemorating the life of Congressman John Lewis on the site of the new Civil Rights Institute in Riverside, CA.

Leila's current work challenges how we see impactful Black women by juxtaposing serious images with unconventional skin tones and bright, bold, and busy patterns.

Leila Victorin photographed by René Patrick Audain

THE ARTIST PRACTICE

My worldview has been informed by the social issues surrounding my experiences as a Caribbean-American woman raised in a predominantly white environment, as well as my love for laughter and my belief that Black women can and should exist in lighthearted spaces of our own making. Coming from an environment where art wasn’t considered a viable career, I spent much of my creative journey stifling my own voice in order to convince myself and the people in my life that my art fit an imaginary construct of legitimacy. I would experiment with different styles, scales, and patterns to cope with the dissonance of pursuing a career in Speech Language Pathology for fear of failing as an artist. It wasn't until the last couple of years that I finally started asking myself what kind of work I truly wanted to make and why.

Upon graduating, I buried myself into the business of art, following the work of artists who inspired me such as Lina Iris Viktor, Ashley Longshore, and Ndidi Emefiele. Their subject matter and how they approached their work in a way gave me the freedom to go back to my first love of painting portraits with a new perspective. I now have accepted my work as valuable and something that excites me. In the words of Janelle Monae, “I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I’m constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes.”

THE STUDIO PRACTICE

I would describe my process as somewhat impulsive and chaotic at first. I usually get an image in my head in the middle of the day at my job and jot down my ideas on sticky notes while gathering references during my breaks. Sometimes my ideas start with a pattern and a collection of colors, other times it starts with thinking of a person whom I’ve been inspired by.

By the time I get to my studio, it's dark without much overhead lighting. Once I put my things down from my day job and change into my paint-covered house robe, I turn on my ring light, hit “play” on my reality show of choice, sketch out the shapes, and decide where the lightest lights and darkest darks will go. It feels like I’m taking one big inhale then holding my breath, so there’s an urgency to get started on the piece once the ideas form. The exhale begins the moment I put the first stroke of paint on the canvas and continue to release as the image takes shape. I do very little blending or even mixing of paint prior to starting my pieces. Most of the colors I use are straight out of the tube, with a bit of white or black mixed in smaller doses depending on the size of the piece. Every stroke eventually lands as it should.

Between the softness of my robe, the cat purring under my chair, and the sounds coming from whatever background noise, there's a lot of comfort in my process. It starts out rushed but ends in almost a meditation.

My artist mantra; “I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I’m constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes.” - Janelle Monae