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Leighann McPartland

Leighann McPartland
BFA Studio Art, Illustration
Chester, NY
[email protected]
Leighann's Behance

Biography

Leighann McPartland is an illustrator from the small town of Chester, New York. After applying for her Bachelors of Fine Arts, she stumbled across illustration, and suddenly all the years of doodling in the margins of her notebooks made sense. Leighann has earned Dean's List every semester since transferring even being accepted into the Transfer's National Honor Society, Tau Sigma.

She has shown work in exhibitions and publications and plans to continue to do so. Leighann dreams of becoming a tattoo artist while also doing freelance illustration and eventually creating her comic series. 

In due time, she would like to receive her MFA and be able to teach at a collegiate level, giving the same time and knowledge to her students that her professors once had given her.

Artist Statement

College is a real-time of self-discovery in the sense that no one knows who they are and are trying on all sorts of different hats to find out. In this struggle to find out, we make choices and mistakes which can completely alter the way we see the world around us, whether good or bad. In my time at Oswego, I've been able to have insight into my psyche. As a result, this experience has helped fuel my drive to create for the rest of my life.

I use illustration as a form of self-guided therapy by creating worlds and realities that help me cope with addiction, battle depression, and explore my spirituality. While I don't consider myself religious, I find myself spiritual. In the vastness of the universe, we are both nothing and everything. We gain from it what we put into it. The pieces I have on display are autobiographical, touching on issues of self, identity, and ego. In both the creation process and the final imagery, these pieces have helped heal me, have helped strengthen me, and have helped me grow as both an artist and an individual.

Pictured are two hands holding each other by the pinky fingers.One of the hands is skeletal and outlined in black while the other hand is fleshy and full of life. A red string weaves itself throughout the piece, wrapping around the joined fingers.

VI. The Lovers
Ink, colored pencil
9x5 inches
2018
Pictured are two hands holding each other by the pinky fingers. One of the hands is skeletal and outlined in black while the other hand is fleshy and full of life. A red string weaves itself throughout the piece, wrapping around the joined fingers.

A giant green demon looms above a heroic figure standing on a staircase. The demon has yellow horns, with masks hanging off of them. Several eyes adorn his face and he grins with a lengthy serpentine tongue. In his hand, he offers the hero a glowing star. Green fire lines the staircase

XV. The Devil
Ink, colored pencil
9x5 inches
2018
A giant green demon looms above a heroic figure standing on a staircase. The demon has yellow horns, with masks hanging off of them. Several eyes adorn his face and he grins with a lengthy serpentine tongue. In his hand, he offers the hero a glowing star. Green fire lines the staircase

Sitting at a pool of water deep within a forest is the hero. He is beaten up and bandaged, but triumphantly clutching a star in his hand. In his other hand is a cup, spilling into the water. One foot rests upon the bank of the pool while the other one is dipped beneath.

XVII. The Star
Ink, colored pencil
9x5 inches
2019
Sitting at a pool of water deep within a forest is the hero. He is beaten up and bandaged, but triumphantly clutching a star in his hand. In his other hand is a cup, spilling into the water. One foot rests upon the bank of the pool while the other one is dipped beneath.

Essence
Oil Paint
3x4 feet
2018

Bowie and The Occult
Digital Illustration
23"x16"
2020

Fantasy illustrations depicting the fictional places to visit.

Travel Poster Series of Fictional Place: Trolberg, BaSingSei, and Moonstone
Digital Illustration
2020
Fantasy illustrations depicting the fictional places to visit.

Portrait made out of iron depicting the artist of the piece.

Iron Self Portrait
Iron Pour
2019
Portrait made out of iron depicting the artist of the piece.

Digital illustration depicting two different colorations of a clown.

Insert Clown Emoji Here
Digital Illustration
2020
Digital illustration depicting two different colorations of a clown.

 Digital illustration depicting a woman with wings and a man with a skeletal hand kissing.

Untitled
Digital Illustration
2020
Digital illustration depicting a woman with wings and a man with a skeletal hand kissing.

Screen-print focusing on a milk carton with the text that spells "Cry About It" the piece is mostly pink and blue.

Spilled Milk
Screen Print
2020
Screen-print focusing on a milk carton with the text that spells "Cry About It" the piece is mostly pink and blue.