"I also enjoy life drawing with charcoal! Drawing a person from life is very different from drawing from
reference and has also influenced a lot of my art work. I find that the little movements of breathing, the
tenseness of muscle, and the auditory experience of hearing nothing but 30 artists drawing one model
exhilarating." - Leo Carney
Artist Spotlight: Leo Carney
Leo Carney is a Los Angeles based mixed-media artist, project engineer, and serial-hobbyist. His creative work focuses on intimacy: the closeness between friends, families, and communities. As a man with both creative and technical interests, he finds the beauty in juxtaposing different mediums, textures, and concepts.
The Intersectionality of my Queerness and Stationery
The Intersectionality of my Queerness and Stationery
Unlike some of my peers, I did not have the privilege of a “coming out” story. My coming out
was my parents finding and reading my journal at the age of 13. The notebook in question, an
Emraw Marble Composition Notebook, was riddled with confusion on who I was and what was
love. Thankfully, my parents had shown kindness and acceptance, although, like me, was
equally perplexed. And without someone in my life that could truly explain to me what is
queerness and homosexuality , those notebooks became roadmaps to who I am today.
Stationery has not only been a tool for productivity, art, and creation, but a key to finding out
who I am. Quiet self-reflection, in this world of on-the-go social media, is hard to come by.
Whether I am writing about a recent date using my Pelikan M600 or sketching out new art
ideas in my Traveler’s notebook, I am taking up space in my life for myself, prioritizing
understanding who I am. And fortunately, I’ve talked to many LGBTQIA+ people in the
stationery community who feel the same. Our notebooks are our private spaces. The original
queer space for so many people. And I thank the brick and mortar stationery stores like Flax
Pen to Paper to provide them to us.
Happy Pride,
Leo Carney
Another piece that I am currently exhibiting for 2023 Pride Month is a Queer Body Map. It is a
representation of my queerness through art. It showcases the wings that have uplifted me, and though
there are rips, they are held together by washi tape and written words: “chosen family”, “practicing
gratitude”, and of course, “stationery”.
This will be in display at Adam’s Square in Glendale until 6/30/2023.
-
"My Travelers Journal Diner Edition has served me as an everyday carry finance and habit tracker and has
recently been a place for Urban Sketching! These are photos from urban sketching Chinatown in LA
using Diamine Oxblood in a Benu Schmidt Nib Broad, my favorite sketching nib currently!" -
