About Leland's Art
A look into the discovery of his talent, photographic memory, personal interpretation, and progression
Discovery
Leland’s parents first noticed his interests in arts when he was about two years old. While his drawings looked typical, he would make them large numbers of them. Over a few months, several hundreds of these drawings were made. No two were exactly alike. His parents were very concerned with his obsessive behavior in making those sketches. They focused their efforts on providing therapies and treatments for Leland. It was not until Leland was seven years old when his talents began to be noticed. The experts from Leland’s school district found out about Leland’s talent and came to evaluate him. They asked him to replicate some of the renaissance masterpieces during an evaluation session. With relative ease, Leland recreated them with amazing likeness. The images below showed some of the replicas Leland produced at age nine.
Photographic Memory
Leland seemed to have a photographic memory for some of the things he saw. Whether a scene from a cartoon show, an activity at a family outing, or a masterpiece from an art exhibition, Leland has the ability to capture the images in his mind and later replicate them with remarkable detail and depth in his drawings. The pictures below display some of the pieces Leland produced after coming home from weekend activities. These drawings were made between the ages of eight and twelve.
Personal Interpretation
Another aspect of Leland’s creativity can be seen in the area of personalized interpretation. The paintings below illustrate this trait. He would, for example, take an original version of Van Gogh’s Bedroom, substitute his own colors, then create his own version of a bedroom along a similar theme. Also below are three distinctive styles of cowboys and horses.
Progression
Motorcycles
Human Figures
Abstract Art
Conclusion
The most remarkable aspect of Leland’s art is his unique perception of the world. What Leland lacks in verbal communication skills, God makes it up by giving him an exceptional visual acuity and vivid imagination. As Leland faces various challenges in life, art becomes an important means of communication for him. He portrays the state of his inner world through his artwork. Rich textures and bold colors become the manifestations of his inner being and trademark of his artwork. Leland is inseparable with arts; he draws and paints just about everywhere he goes. Whether he is working on a large size canvas or doodling in his sketchbooks, he is always passionate about his creations.