Regal (Series)

Regal in Blue

Regal in Pink

Regal In Purple

Leah Jeanne is a South London born artist who works primarily on portraits. She uses a range of mediums including acrylic and oil on canvas, acrylic on glass and embroidery. She has recently started showcasing her artwork and has been involved in, in person and virtual exhibitions in London. Leah has used this year in lockdown to really work on her art career to promote her artwork and challenge herself creatively. As a black woman Leah’s work mainly focuses on how to portray the diversity and beauty of women of colour as she comes to terms with her own identity. She hopes that through her artwork more people can truly see the beauty of those who are not represented fully within mainstream media.

This series entitled “Regal in” depicts black women in a classic portrait style. The series was created during the COVID lockdown in the UK which alongside the rise in interest in black culture and black experiences sparked a lot of uneasy feelings for many black women. Feelings of needing to be strong, memories of never being accepted; never seeing their beauty as a standard to be upheld. She wanted to create pieces that through simplicity challenged the notion that black is not beautiful. Leah created these portraits to highlight the beauty, uniqueness and variety of so many different types of black women. She wanted to create a series of portraits of women who have an air of regality about them. These portraits showcase the majesty of black women. Even though the composition is simplistic she wanted the subject to be the main focus. These portraits were created to empower black women and to illustrate the beauty in the diversity of the black diaspora.