Artists Biography
Leona Moylan is a mixed media artist based in Missoula, Montana. She was born and raised in Los Osos, a small coastal town in California. Leona transferred to the University of Montana in 2025 after earning her Associate of Arts for Transfer degree from Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California. She is currently working toward her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture and a minor in Art History. Leona works simultaneously with bronze casting, printmaking, textiles, ceramics, and other sculpture mediums such as paper mache and mold casting.
The figure and animal forms are common in her pieces, manipulated to convey thoughts and emotions about the human experience. She is deeply influenced by her own heritage and draws from the Irish, Russian, and Danish folktales and legends passed down to her. These historical references help her to inform what she creates and to perceive the world we live in. Leona has participated in multiple juried exhibitions at Cuesta College (2023-25) and the University of Montana (2025). She has additionally organized and shown work in group exhibitions such as Knives, Needles, & Acid (Cuesta College Student Gallery, 2025) and completed internships at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (2026) and The Pottery Baywood (2026). During her time at the University of Montana, Leona hopes to master new technical skills and explore a diverse range of ways to support herself as an artist. Leona is intent on exploring new pathways that will allow her to create art, teach, and give back to her community.
Artist’s Statement
My work uses both the figure and animal forms to convey thoughts and emotions about the human experience. I am deeply influenced by my own heritage and draw from the Irish, Ukranian, and Danish folktales and legends passed down to me. These historical references help me to inform what I create and perceive the world we live in. I draw from sources that evoke strong emotion – something innate, nostalgic, essential, fleeting, etc. A wide range of materials such as reused textiles, wire, found objects, and moldable paper pulp are essential to my process, as they possess the specific fluid, textured, and raw qualities that I envision in my work. I use abstraction and distorted proportions to further a piece’s expressive nature. Bronze casting is an important element in my practice, as I am able to transform the innate qualities of my chosen materials into one unified sculpture. Bronze is an organic material that I feel preserves my piece’s animate qualities, and that carries a rich history of its own. Inspirations such as these fuel my fascination with life in all stages and using art as a vessel for giving as much back to the community that I work with as I receive.
