aaron leighton

Berlin, new site and UPPERCASE

Aaron Leighton — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:58:00 -0700

Three exciting bits to share: Firstly, I head to Germany today for the always mind-blowing pictoplasma conference where I'll be not only attending but speaking as well. If you happen to be in Berlin on Thursday evening, feel free to drop by! Secondly, I've just finished a new website, myspiritcity.com, which will be the future home of all my nature spirits lost in the city. Even though my book, Spirit City Toronto is now sold out, I plan to do a new one about Berlin and hopefully other cities as well. So this site will be part of that project as well as future ones. And thirdly, I recently completed a piece for the 13th issue of UPPERCASE magazine on the theme of "luck". Here's my piece featuring the rare sight of an unlucky leprechaun.

New acquisitions!

Aaron Leighton — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:08:00 -0700

Recently I was lucky enough to acquire paintings by two of my former students, Jen Prior (the snake and the hand) and Alex Gorodskoy (the blistering pre-Cambrian scene). Forget investing in your RRSP – buy their amazing work instead!

Mini Interview: Sorry You’re Happy

Aaron Leighton — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 19:02:00 -0700

I recently interviewed Jen Hsieh and Kyle Reed, friends of mine who are also masterminds behind the art licensing and surface design studio, Sorry You're Happy. Read it here on the Nook blog.

Young Blood winners

Aaron Leighton — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:51:00 -0800

Kelsey Heinrichs and Taryn Gee are two very talented former students of mine from Sheridan a few years back, so it was no surprise to hear they both recently had work accepted in the "Young Blood" category of the 2012 Applied Arts Photography and Illustration Annual. Check out their fantastic winning entries below. Congratulations guys!

Pictoplasma 2012

Aaron Leighton — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:29:00 -0800

This is exciting: I've been asked to be a presenter at this year's pictoplasma festival in Berlin, as have my friends Hyein Lee and Nathan Jurevicius. Many thanks to Peter and Lars!

The Subconscious Sketchbook... again!

Aaron Leighton — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:23:00 -0800

Wondering how to spend Valentines Day? Why not sign up for my Subconscious Sketchbook class at Nook, starting on February 14 and going for three consecutive Tuesdays? Your partner will love you for it!

Pictoplasma Paris

Aaron Leighton — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:58:00 -0800

Some exciting news: I recently found out that one of my characters will be included in Pictoplasma Paris being held at the Gaîté Lyrique gallery from December 7 – 31. It's an honour to be included in Pictoplasma, which I've been lucky enough to attend a couple of times in Berlin, and to be in a show in Paris is the icing on the croissant. My talented pal Hyein Lee also has some work in the show. Thanks very much to Peter and Lars for everything!

Nook Holiday Sale!

Aaron Leighton — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:37:00 -0800

Here's a sneak preview of two of the little hand-made spirits I'll be selling this Saturday, December 3, at part one of the Nook Holiday Sale! It's happening again on December 10, so if you're in Kensington Market here in Toronto, swing by Nook (156 Augusta Avenue), and check out the veritable treasure trove of hand-made holiday treats for sale.

Mecanismos by Carl Wiens

Aaron Leighton — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 08:54:00 -0800

It's still a week and a day away, but the opening of the Mecanismos show by illustrator and all around great guy Carl Wiens promises to be amazing. Comprised of an impressive 100 unique screenprints, the idea for the collection began as a series of experimental digital collages based on Carl's collection of old textbooks and catalogs. Channeling his inner Dr. Frankenstein, he remixed 16 heads, 16 bodies, 45 background elements and 7 colours to create the charming robotic characters, "animating the inanimate" to use his own words. Domo arigato Mr. Mecanismo! The show opens on November 26 at Oeno Gallery in Prince Edward County. More info here.

Trio Magnus at Beatbox Canada 2011

Aaron Leighton — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:13:00 -0800

I'm not sure how you spent the evening on Saturday, November 12, but along with my mates Steve Wilson and CTON, I spent it doing live drawing at the 2nd Annual Canadian Beatbox Championships. We were there representin' as our collective Trio Magnus and doing a 5 x 9 ft live drawing with red and black Snowman™ markers while the contestants onstage used only a microphone to churn out sounds and beats I didn't think humanly possible. Check out the final showdown here, and thanks to Gary for the opportunity!

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