Illustrator Amy Leonard captures fleeting moments in everyday urban spaces

Depicting petrol stations, roundabouts, train stations and more, illustrator Amy Leonard loves to capture urban spaces that typically go unnoticed. Rooted in her own geographical experiences, Amy’s interest in urban sprawl first arose after her move from the tourist beach town of Felixstowe in Suffolk to London. Moving from scenic beauty to a large inner-city, Amy purposely set herself on appreciating the landscapes around her, no matter their typical perception. “Day-to-day life is happening everywhere, all around us all the time – we just need to notice it,” Amy advocates.

To make such spaces visually intriguing, Amy focuses on “fleeting moments, or stillness” and then elevates them by creating strong contacts between sky and structure, light and shadow. A bright red petrol station sits beneath a dramatic storm grey sky, and a glistening train stalls below a soft sunset on a late summer evening. Beginning each work with a simple sketch, Amy then finishes her work digitally while trying to maintain a “painterly” feel. Never taken a second thought to the roundabout at the end of your road? Maybe it’s time for a longer look.