My Artists - Leah Barry

Leah Barry – From My Personal View

Leah Barry is a 17-year-old, self-taught graphite pencil artist who began drawing just last year. Her journey into art grew from her love of ice hockey, which has played a huge role in helping her manage anxiety and build confidence. Drawing ice hockey players — often gifting the portraits to them — was the starting point of her artistic path.

Leah is refreshingly honest about her progress, from early drawings she now laughs at, to the strong, confident work she creates today. Over the past year, her development has been remarkable — not only in her technical ability, but also in her self-belief and emotional wellbeing. Art has become both a creative outlet and a source of calm, helping her navigate anxiety and build resilience.

Currently studying Health and Social Care at college, Leah made a conscious decision not to study art formally. She trusts her own learning process and values developing her style independently — something that is clearly working for her. While many people describe her ability as a natural talent, Leah believes that anyone can learn if they commit, stay open, and believe in themselves.

From my personal view, meeting Leah always teaches me something new about her. At our last exhibition, we shared a moment that made me smile — I spoke in my own language, not expecting her to understand at all. Leah doesn’t speak Polish, yet simply through the situation she immediately picked up on what I needed help with. It turned into a proper laugh between us and perfectly reflected her awareness, empathy, and quick thinking.

Leah is always incredibly kind, thoughtful, and helpful, often stepping in to support me — including helping to keep her mum on track with deadlines more than once. She brings warmth, humour, and generosity into our community and is a joy to work with.

Leah is a young artist with a strong sense of self, a generous heart, and a very bright future ahead.