“A Day in the Life” with Toronto Visual Artist Gordon Leverton

Gordon Leverton is a self-taught artist, whose previous occupations – as a musician, writer, and entrepreneur – have helped form the direction of his painting practice that places urban landscape and architectural design at the forefront.

During his time as a stay-at-home father between occupations, Leverton took daily walks through Hamilton’s streets and alleys and became fascinated by the inner networks and webs of the city. A latent love of art and design soon emerged and with it, his inspiration to capture those emotions on canvas. Leverton’s portrayal of the city’s architectural elements rendered with flattened perspective, bright colours, and strong play of light and shadow has become his signature style. He further describes his working process:

“I break down the city into component parts. Shadows, buildings and skylines all become part of the same plane and transform into pieces of a puzzle. Using acrylic paint, I explore a theme common to the urban experience – how community connects us all.”

Leverton is a member of several guilds and artist groups including Hamilton Artists Inc. and Hamilton Arts Council, as well as, in December 2023 was elected as a member of The Society of Canadian Artists. He currently sits on the McMaster Children’s Hospital art advisory committee and is a founding member of the West Hamilton Artists Tour. Leverton has shown at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF) for 18 consecutive years.

In 2022 Leverton launched a new project called SOCIAL SPACE – pop-up group art shows in urban spaces – featuring emerging and established artists. His work has appeared in numerous publications, broadcasts and journals and is widely held in private collections in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Australia and Europe. Gordon Leverton makes his home in Hamilton, ON. with his wife Nancy and two children.

Gordon Leverton
Shared Values, 2023, 36″x36″
Gordon Leverton
Posture, acrylic, 24″x24″
Construído, 2022, 40″x72″
Gordon in studio.
Gordon Leverton
Posing with originals.
Gordon Leverton
With original painting Frontier, 2022.

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Which ‘hood are you in?

My family and I make Hamilton, Ontario, Canada our home. We have lived in the West end – Kirkendall community, for over 25 years.

What do you do?

I am a full-time visual artist, creating my art in my home studio in Hamilton, Ontario. I also work part-time at our local bookstore called Epic Books on Locke Street in Hamilton.

What are you currently working on?

Recently I was elected into The Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) and created a new 24 x24 inch acrylic on canvas painting called “Posture” for the OSA Newly Elected Members Exhibition.

Where can we find your work?

All of my work can be located on my website and also at my galleries – Canvas Gallery (Toronto) and Cloud Gallery (Orillia).

 

About Emilea Semancik 149 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to freelance her own pieces and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. She is also a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of recipe books. You can find her recipes on Instagram. @ancestral.foods