Artist Highlight: Leah Abucayan
From duct tape portraits to her first spray-painted mural at ACMF, hellaLEAH’s designs promise positive impacts.
Atlanta-based Filipino-American artist, Leah Abucayan, will be gracing the walls at Atlanta Crossroads Mural Festival with the colors of her first-ever spray-based mural. Predominately a brush painter, but also known for her forays into crafting with duct tape, she is excited to be a part of this new project.
Leah, who is known as hellaLEAH in the art scene, told us that she is amped up to paint on a large canvas for the first time “alongside some dope artists and homies.” She said that she likes the idea of trying the new craft of spray, considering her “weapon of choice” is usually duct tape, paired with brush painting.
Leah got her roots in artistic projects when she was 11 years old and kick-started her own small business, “crafting purses, bags, and wallets out of duct tape.” With a degree in Graphic Design from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, paired with an internship at Walt Disney Imagineering under her belt, she now designs for CNN’s Digital Art Department. Over time, she shifted her duct tape endeavors from accessories to custom portraits, including a fun one she made of Chris Wright, one one of our festival organizers, as part of a white elephant gift exchange for artists that she organized this winter.
Her art has become expansive over the years, ranging from paint to chalk, and even including home renovations. Leah told us her “mission is to make a positive impact on the world and inspire others with her art and passion for design.” She said that “Being in the zone and just putting what’s in my head on a large canvas it’s very fulfilling to see come to fruition,” especially when she sees others enjoy her work.
Leah describes Atlanta as stimulating, gritty, and raw, and she says that Atlanta Crossroads Mural Festival is set to be “good vibes for sure.” Come check out her mural at the festival on July 27!
Author: Judie Levy