Discover Leyla Inal Portfolio

My practice is rooted in play as a method of creation. I begin by working quickly and without judgment, allowing intuition, movement, and emotion to lead before thought or refinement. These unfiltered moments are not preparatory sketches, but essential spaces where energy, feeling, and form emerge freely.

I work across painting, drawing, mixed media, and digitally, often moving between fast, instinctive mark-making and slower, more deliberate construction. This back-and-forth — between the raw and the refined — sustains the work. When a piece becomes too controlled or fixed, I return to play through erasure, layering, or disruption to keep the surface alive.

My imagery often feels abstracted or simplified, but it is driven by bodily memory, emotional perception, and rhythm rather than representation. I’m interested in how intuitive marks can hold seriousness without heaviness, and how simplicity can carry depth.

At its core, my work treats play not as escape, but as discipline, a way of resisting perfectionism, reclaiming time, and staying in contact with what feels immediate and real.

Hi, I’m Leyla! I’m a visual artist based in NYC. I’m currently a junior at Davidson College majoring in studio art and philosophy, while working across painting, writing, and music.

Alongside my studio practice, I engage with philosophy, psychology, and cultural critique as ways of understanding the world I’m making work within.

I also love songwriting and making music on the ukulele and piano, which offer a more immediate, embodied way of exploring emotion and presence. Moving between visual art, writing, and music allows me to think through ideas from multiple angles and registers.

My work across disciplines is rooted in curiosity, intuition, and close attention to lived experience.