Artist Statement from Claire Serenah Leskin

Have you ever imagined telling a story and trying to bring it to life? I bring my dreams to life,
getting inspiration for my artwork by interacting with friends, people I know, life
experiences, and from my imagination and dreams. I highlight brand new worlds,
including various stories of interest, characters, and compelling objects. My Illustration
work bestows the viewer with variety of unseen stories never before contemplated, written,
or produced in visual media. The composition, quality, and textures correspond with the
vibrancy, energy, and movement throughout each piece. In my illustration, “Mechanical
Rabbit City”, one can see the visual representation of how mechanical animals view and
live within their own unique world. The mechanical aspects of the main character
resemble how the robotic rabbits’ function with surrounding visual elements such as their
home environment, town and cityscapes, the countryside, and relations with other robotic
entities.

In creating my illustrative art, I use specific techniques. The size of my work ranges from
8.5” x 11” to 17”x22”, presented on either fine art watercolor paper, acid free illustration
boards, or high-quality Bristol board. For instance, I utilize cross-hatching to bring
out textures and values with preferred mediums, like Indian ink with thin and thick brushes,
micron pens, and Japanese dual-brush pens. I use different scenic backgrounds and
illustrate how the main subject manages to navigate around it with ease. I see illustration
as not only a form of artwork, but as a whole different world for me to experiment with
ideas by being inspired by other artists and movies that use similar techniques. Overall, the
work is inspiring because of the interactions of variety of multiple characters coexisting in
different worlds that I create, being friendly and not overwhelming. I hope that my audience
will be inspired by my illustrative creations done in an original and imaginative style.