On the Power of Chance Encounters, the Patience of Resin, and Beauty Beyond Grasp
Leyla Mustafina is a contemporary artist working in mixed media with epoxy resin. She creates interior paintings, decorative objects with real flowers, paints murals, and leads master classes. Her work explores the impact of chance encounters on human destiny. Her paintings are more than decorative elements they are visual meditations on the fine line between chance and fate. Each piece invites viewers into those fragile, often unnoticed moments that can reshape the course of a life.
Leyla lives and works in Nice. You can attend one of her master classes or invite her to host an unforgettable creative event for your birthday, wedding, or bridal shower.
Your paintings carry a strong philosophical undercurrent. What do you hope to express through your art?
I’m fascinated by the way people influence one another especially through random, fleeting encounters. Sometimes we cross paths for just a few seconds, unaware of how profoundly it will change us. A glance or a single phrase can resonate deep within, shift our inner compass, and set us on a new path. I aim to capture those invisible turns of fate through texture, form, and color.
What role does epoxy resin play in your creative process?
Epoxy resin, for me, is a living, transformative medium. In my mixed-media practice, I weave together textures, shapes, and materials, with resin serving as the unifying element. At first, it flows like water capricious and unpredictable then, over time, it hardens into something almost eternal. That contrast mirrors inner transformation: subtle changes unseen at first, then sudden clarity and completion.
How labor-intensive is the process of creating a single painting?
It’s a painstaking, almost meditative ritual. Pouring, curing, sanding each stage can stretch over weeks or even months. I revisit the same piece repeatedly, waiting for the material to “ripen” and reveal its next layer of meaning. There’s a special kind of quiet and contemplation in that patience.
What significance do real flowers hold in your decorative works?
A flower symbolizes life and its transience. Watching it wither teaches us to embrace the beauty of every stage of existence. By encasing petals in resin, I extend that single moment preserving nature’s breath and granting the flower a second, “eternal” life. It’s a small miracle: a captured instant that remains with us forever.
Beyond paintings, you also create large-scale murals and lead master classes. What do these experiences bring you?
Large formats allow me to play with composition and engage directly with architectural space, inviting viewers into dialogue with the artwork. Master classes offer a different kind of fulfillment: I share my techniques, observe others at work, and continue learning myself. Those encounters enrich my vision, spark new ideas, and push me to experiment.
How did the idea arise to perform as an invited artist at weddings and birthdays, and what makes this format special?
It grew from a desire to make celebrations more personal and unforgettable. As a guest artist, I create fashion sketches and artistic portraits of attendees on the spot. Each person leaves not with a generic photo, but with a unique drawing an intimate artwork woven into the story of their event.
@365colorfull_leyla
@leilita_leya
