As a GVSU professor in the psychology department, Leon Lou's visual art practice is intertwined with his research on selective attention in visual perception, especially on the pivotal role selective attention plays in drawing and painting from direct observations. Their pursuit for excellence in portraiture and figurative art has won him an award from the Michigan Watercolor Society and led to his 2022 ArtPrize entry that involved drawing visitors to the Ford Presidential Museum daily for three weeks, culminating in a 300-figure drawing on multiple rolls of paper.