About Leyla Torres | Biographical note

Hola amigos! - Hi friends!
Welcome to this website. On this page I will tell you where I come from and what I like to do.

When I Was a Girl
I have always loved to paint and to read. As a child growing up in Bogotá, Colombia, my parents ran an elementary school which exposed me to all kinds of books. One day, my mother gave me a small easel and a box of paints. My first painting was a group of six tall green cypress trees. I didn't have many friends and my two brothers and sister were much younger than me, so I spent a lot of time on my own either reading, painting or making rag dolls.

Drawing straight lines and circles
When I went to college, I decided to study fine arts. In the beginning I was quite nervous because I thought that the teachers would expect accomplished drawings in the first day of class. To my surprise and relief, the teachers had me drawing pages and pages of straight lines and circles, which seemed easy to me. I discovered that little by little my drawings improved, but it takes a lot of practice and patience to draw or do anything well at all.

Teaching and making puppets
After receiving a degree in Fine Arts and Education, I rented a small attic studio and found a job teaching art in a public school in Bogotá. I also worked closely with a group of puppeteers, designing and creating puppets and sets, and collaborated on the writing of scripts as well. I think it was at that time in my life that the idea of doing my own books was planted within me. I kept this desire to myself for a long time because I wasn't sure how to go about making a book.

A trip to New York
One day, I was sitting at my drawing table and felt this strong urge to travel. I wanted to see some of the art in the world great museums. New York City would be a good place to start, so I decided to travel to this city in 1985 and stay for one year.
Once in New York, I learned how to speak English and I enrolled in a lithography class at The Art Students League. I also discovered The Central Children's room at the New York Public Library, a place that became my paradise. I had never seen so many children's books in one place. The desire to do my own book blossomed and each author was like a teacher to me.
When my year-long visit was over, I decided stay and live in New York. It took me another five years before I was ready to submit my first book for publication. Since then, I have written and illustrated several books. Some of them have been published, some of them have been rejected, and a few of them have been just for my family and friends.

At the present
Besides writing and painting, I like to visit schools and share with children how to make books. I also love folding paper to make origami figures and once in a while I make a rag doll.
I married a great guy named John Sutton. We lived in New York City for a long time, but now we have moved to Vermont. John enjoys working in his design studio where he makes lanterns and furniture. I have a studio at home also where I paint and make my books. We miss visiting the museums in New York City as often as we used to, but we now take long hikes in the beautiful Green Mountains.

Leyla Torres

Author and Illustrator

About Leyla