Joy is allowed
Leila Simon Hayes is an abstract artist and award-winning designer, known for bold color combinations, playful patterns and unique mark-making.
Video by Sue Murad, editing by Molly Brock at Cowboy Collective
“I’m enabling expression to emerge on its own without a plan in place, without an outcome in mind and without representation of anything tangible. It might represent an internal state of mind, a feeling, a desire. I work from a mode of improvisation, a practice I’ve explored for decades in different mediums. I wait for the “click” I feel when I know a piece is complete. The way I get to that place, how long I need to wade through the middle zone, my response to the process, is different every time. And to me, that is the whole point, it’s an ever-changing exploration.”
color and form
"Bespoke patterns with beautiful energy and layering, Leila is a master of color and form. It was a delight see the inspiration, process, and conceptual thinking behind her stunning work."
Lizzie Vaughan
Art Director, Chronicle Books
unique mark-making
"Leila presents a really arresting selection of patterns. She has a bold, confident use of color and interesting, unique mark-making. It is really confident work."
Janine Vangool
Editor, UPPERCASE Magazine
bold patterns
"Not only is she a beautiful person, Leila has been a delight to work with. I discovered Leila’s bold patterns and beautiful work when I
needed her the most!."
Michelle Pohler
Founder, Hello Fears
The full cover story
You may have noticed that I launched the 2025 calendar pre-orders with one cover a few weeks ago, and a new cover this week, and...
The top 5 questions I get about framed prints—answered in 1 minute!
Less stress, more color
More from the “for later” basket
My first big remix
The “for later” basket
It’s always there for me
LSH x Nooworks
Big zigzag energy
Let customers speak for us
I just received this year's calendar and it is absolutely beautiful! It will truly make my year better! I look forward to each and every month of gorgeous colour and pattern.Thank you Leila, for crafting and sharing such a lovely, functional work of art.
I love the artwork, the color palette, and the thoughtful arrangement of how each design flows month-to-month. I also appreciate the room to write in the calendar section—it's compact yet functional.
For the last few years I’ve been using Leila’s calendars everyday. It hangs near the bathroom sink where I see it first thing in the morning and at night where I can visualize the month, write little notes, birthdays and other important events. It’s become more of a ritual for me to step away from a digital calendar and go back to the paper. Thank you LSH for gifting me an opportunity to avoid screen-time and enjoy your compelling and colorful artwork while planning my next adventure. Favorite month - December!
These beautiful calendars make me happy throughout the year -- and then I use them for cards the year after that!
These cards are striking and make the perfect holiday gift. Of course I kept one set for myself!
This is the only calendar I buy every year—just received my 2025 preorder in the mail and I can't stop swooning over it. The quality is exquisite and it's truly a piece of art that's also functional. And I love that it has life even beyond the year it marks—the illustrated pages are fine art prints that you can frame and save (or share/gift if you can bear to part with them :)).
Who buys calendars anymore when everything is on google? Well, ME, but only Leila's annual wall calendar! I still love the visual of a month-at-a-glance calendar on my kitchen and office walls, but I want one that inspires me, not one that overwhelms me with a to-do list. Not only does Leila's wall calendar energize me with each of her stunning abstract designs, but it also relaxes me with her soothing, unique color combinations. I buy a bunch of them for holiday gifts and then at the end of every year, I cut out the designs and use them for greeting cards. It's the art gift that keeps on giving all year round!
I love color and these postcards do not disappoint! The print quality is better than the post cards you find in a museum(!!) and the artwork is downright joyful. I love the exuberance. I have begun to use these postcards for so many things! I send them in the mail as is, I use them as cards on gifts, I've even cut a few of them up to be beautiful bookmarks (I hope the artist isn't offended by that). Anyway, these are awesome cards! Buy them!
