What
is art? The question is a source of much debate. In this day and age
those who take their creativity and innovation to the next level by
combining it with today’s technology or by using objects the
average person might not find beauty in continually redefine what we
believe is art.
Take
for instance, Northern California based artist Leanza Abucayan; This
20 year old from Sacramento has taken to using duct tape as one of
her preferred mediums in building and creating art. Armed with her
pile of multicolored duct tape rolls, Leanza, or Leah (as in the
princess!) for short, transforms canvas’ into spectacular pieces of
modern art.
She
began as a fresh faced middle schooler enamored with duct tape
wallets, and bags, and decided she wanted to be a part of it. She
began taking orders. Building these creations gained her recognition
by “Good Day Sacrament,” as well as members of the Black Eyed
Peas. After awhile she recognized that she may have bit off more then
she could chew, but she didn’t let it stop her. Instead of bags,
she kept to wallets, selling from online outlets that have since been
shut down.
As
a student at the Academy of Art University, she has had the ability
to really focus on her craft, and has discovered that her canvas duct
tape creations forces her to see images differently. She states
breaking images down into layers as one of the most difficult parts
of the medium.
(Replication
of an Image of her Parents, 100% Duct tape, Leah Abucayan)
The
average person uses duct tape to close up boxes, as reinforcement, or
to literally keep things together, and never spends time trying to
understand the fabric of it. Duct tape is difficult to get cut
cleanly as it is a cloth-backed tape and fibers often stick out.
Despite the challenges of working with the tape Leah has spent the
time to understand it and use it to express her artistry, whether in
a moment of boredom, or sudden inspiration.
When
asked what made Duct tape her preferred artistic medium she
described:
It's
just a form of media that is not used very often other than for quick
fixes or your simple craft project, and I find it pretty relaxing
‘cause it's something I can do that's pretty brainless, yet
productive. I just get in the zone and once I figure out my process
and colors I just don't have to think…I just cut cut cut.
(Leah
is preparing for the Disney College Program, and many of her works
are inspired by Disney.)
Leah’s
creativity and innovation has recently gained her the admiration of
the CEO of tokidoki a
Japanese-inspired lifestyle brand. She someday aspires to take her
craft bigger and better, taking on wall murals and eventually opening
her own gallery.
It’s
artist like Leah, and others featured on this blog that are truly
bringing art into the present, and launching our communities into the
next phase of artistic evolution. The discovery of new, exciting, and
expressive forms of art is something many artists strive to achieve.
Keep
an eye out for Leanza
Abucayan as she takes
on the world one layer of duct tape at a time.
Leah Abucayan
by - Sierra Meszaros
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