Isabella Leyton - Girlhood

"Living in an age where the media idealize romance, it was in my early years of high school that I found myself putting others on a pedestal, hoping for their affection in place of my own. My inquiry for 'Girlhood' involved the question: How did obstacles related to love, stemming from personal adversity, lead to resilience and acceptance through self-love? Through my inquiry, I investigated how to express the multiple occurrences of love not only from another party of self-love, but from the absence of familial love as well. Overall, how can I develop this story of rejection into eventual acceptance of self?

A heavy influence on my portfolio was my lack of maturity at the time, along with an over-dramatization of the circumstances I found myself in. With the combination of gridding and photo realism, I wanted to convey my desire for perfection throughout my life. Artworks such as 'The Fool' and 'Delusion' emphasize extreme emotion through the use of facial expression and hand movement. I often contrasted the use of gray scale and color to highlight what impacted my well-being positively and negatively. Symbolism through hearts is apparent in the works 'Daydream' and 'Acceptance,’ with a large scale vs. a smaller scale, showing the difference in impact romance had on my purpose for living over time—improving in maturity.

The materials I used for my works consisted of colored pencils, graphite pencil, and oil paint—all chosen for the best way to refine my images in mind, providing for the greatest amount of small detail in reference to my previous desire for perfection. My main goal is for “Girlhood” to be relatable to young teenage girls who are experiencing their own desire for romance. As I continue to grow into my maturity, my focus in artwork has shifted from being less about personal desires to the importance of my family and heritage."

Awards:

-Harris County Department of Education, in partnership with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Award: Silver Key

-Score of 5 on AP Studio Art: Drawing