Isabella Leyton - studio art

GIRLHOOD (2024)

A portfolio on adolescence

Living in an age where the media idealizes 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' asked: 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 in self-love, but also from the absence of familial love. 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

"The Fool"

17x5in

Prismacolor

Sketch Book Experimentation on Human Anatomy and Relevant Themes

Development of Ideas and Execution

"Acceptance"

9x12in

Prismacolor

Awarded a perfect score at the Visual Art Scholastic Event hosted by the Texas Education Association (2024).

"Delusion"

21x12in

Prismacolor, graphite

Awarded a perfect score at the Visual Art Scholastic Event hosted by the Texas Education Association (2024).

"Ego Death"

8x10in

Prismacolor, magazine cutouts

"Feminization"

12x9in

Prismacolor, pen & ink

"Daydream"

14x11in

Oil paint, Prismacolor

"A Loving Family"

9x12in

Graphite, Prismacolor

TO BE DESIRED (2023)

A Sustained Investigation

24x18in

Oil pastel

Interviewed and featured in the 2023 Paetow High School Yearbook

For AP art student Isabella Leyton, art is the way to tap into a plethora of intangible ideas and feelings. This is evident in her piece "To Be Desired," which she describes as a piece about "finding self-love within yourself. Although the piece itself is about love, it reaches into the deeper emotions to show others that they are not isolated when they are feeling alone.

"I don't think it necessarily spreads a positive message. I feel like instead of spreading positivity, it brings awareness to certain dark feelings that most people feel and bottle up," Leyton said. "This is a message to others that you're not the only one that feels this way.

"To Be Desired" is only one of Leyton's pieces that represent love in many differing relationships one experiences throughout life. "In most of my art a recurring theme is basically about love, whether it's self-love, familial love, or just platonic love, Leyton said.

"I just wanted to focus on a certain aspect of love that involved myself because sometimes love isn't always with other people."

Development of Ideas, Process, and Execution

Harris County Department of Education, in partnership with the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Award: Gold Key and National Consideration