Leila Victorin remembers when she was very young finding a song book that her mother had illustrated. She was mesmerized and began copying pictures she saw in that book.
“I was also homeschooled and my mom took a very creative approach to that process,” said Victorin, now 29. “Between her and the other homeschooled kids in the area, we took advantage of our boredom and did everything from painting to making stamps to earthworks, even if we didn’t really know what we were doing.”
Born in Loma Linda and raised in upstate New York, Victorin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in visual art as well as a Bachelor of Arts in French from Andrews University in Michigan. She went on to receive a Master of Science in speech language pathology at the same university.
In 2018, Victorin moved to Riverside after getting a job as a speech pathologist.
“I had some family here and needed the sun after living in Michigan for eight years,” she said.
Victorin continues her full-time work as a pediatric speech pathologist, however she has also followed her path as a visual artist.
“I primarily paint portraits of Black folks,” she said. “My portrait styles fluctuate between strong gestural, painterly figures and portraits made using cleaner bold-colored shapes and unconventional skin tones mimicking both classical and pop art styles.”
The first mural she completed after arriving in California was her interpretation of Nicey, the first Black resident of Riverside, brought here by Eliza Tibbets.
“There are no known pictures of her, but I painted my own version of her with a unicorn, balloons and candy in her hat,” she said. “I think oftentimes Black children don’t get to see themselves in a fantasy world and so I wanted to present her in a way that was likely different than her actual reality.”
Most recently Victorin collaborated with other artists in creating the John Lewis memorial mural in downtown Riverside.
“It is meant to highlight the life of Representative John Lewis and the civil rights era,” she said. “That was really a cool collaboration where we all had a chance to put our own voice and perspective in the piece. It felt like it was something much bigger than me that I got to be a part of.”
Victorin looks back fondly upon past accomplishments, as well, including an art camp for young girls she and another artist developed while in graduate school. The camp taught participants how to make work in the style of notable female artists.
“It was just so cool to see these 8- to 10-year-olds innovate and put on an art show for their families,” she said.
Victorin is also proud of a mural that she helped organize for the cafeteria of the Arts and Communication Academy in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
“That was a project where I barely put any paint on the wall but got a chance to see people who wouldn’t describe themselves as artists come together to do something really cool for the community,” she said. “We then watched the kids and community members see all these incredible Black heroes on the walls and feel a sense of empowerment.”
Victorin believes that art has a way of building up morale and pride in a city and living space.
“I think it’s also important for children, especially in that there’s a lot of creativity that children inherently possess that gradually becomes stifled,” she said. “It’s important for children to both see and be affirmed by art and artists and if that can be done on a large scale, even better.”
Information: www.leilaacreates.com.
Patrick Brien is executive director of the Riverside Arts Council.
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Riverside artist uses her work to build morale and pride - Press-Enterprise
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