Leyla studied art in London and Leeds specialising in painting. Having travelled around Europe she settled in Yorkshire and began her art career in 2000, painting predominantly in acrylics on canvas.
She works by exploring her inner feel for the colour and paint, using palette knives, brushes and paper, engaging herself in an unknown process of creating something that feels right at the time of painting. There is no preliminary plan or a sketch, everything happens instinctively. Abstract dominates her style in either abstract seascapes or pure abstraction. Because of the intuitive way her art is created, it is not easy for her to deconstruct her work, and for the benefit of the viewers, she invites them to be proactive and find their own intuitive understanding of her art. All art is communication of experience and she feels that we, as humans share it.
Influences, there are many, mainly artists who painted the world around them through the medium of colour and abstraction: Picasso, Klee, Delaunays, Rothko, abstract expressionists, impressionists etc. Currently, Leyla is working on a series of abstracts in pastel tones, depicting a fresh and serene feel through soft edges and light washes of brilliant transparency of colour.
Leyla has exhibited in London, New York, Europe and many galleries in the UK. Her work is in many private collections all over the world, including US, UK, Spain, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland.