LEIGHA STILES
Artist Statement
Leigha Stiles (b. Pembroke, Ontario) is a multi-disciplinary artist currently working in clothing design and video performance art, while also using oil paint and printmaking. Stiles is a MFA Candidate at the University of Ottawa and a BFAH graduate from Queen’s University.
Her work explores themes of mental health, the physical representation of mood disorders, and expressive self-portraiture. After going through an episode of psychosis, coupled with a mood disorder and later being diagnosed with epilepsy, she represents her personal experiences.
Stiles has had her work exhibited in different venues including Gallery 115, Ottawa School of Art, Union Gallery, the Print Pulse 30: Travelling Exhibition, Cezanne’s Closet fundraising event, the Undergraduate Review, the Queen’s Feminist Review and Visio Magazine.
Artist CV
Education
2024 Master of Fine Arts, University of Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario.
Visual Arts
2018 Bachelor of Fine Art Honours, Queen’s University. Kingston, Ontario.
Advanced Printmaking. QU, 2016
Paint Media, QU, 2017
Exhibited Works
Group
2023 Hey Sweetheart, Vibes. Matasi Gallery at the Ottawa School of Art, New Direction in Printmaking. Ottawa, Ontario.
2022 My Mentality, Sad Me. Gallery 115 group exhibition, Fragmented Connections. Ottawa, Ontario.
2019 Raggiana. Union Gallery group exhibition, Re:Union. Kingston, Ontario.
2019 My Mentality. Kingston Coffee House, Artist of the month. Kingston, Ontario.
2018 (un)wavering. BFA 18 Group Exhibition, (un)titled. Kingston, Ontario.
2018 Yours. Union Gallery group exhibition, Course of Action. Kingston, Ontario.
2018 Vibes. Union Gallery group exhibition, Surface. Kingston, Ontario.
2017 Hey Sweetheart. Print Pulse 30: travelling group exhibition,
Arts and Media Lab at the Isabel Bader Centre of performing Arts. Kingston, Ontario.
2016 Blank. Union Gallery group exhibition, Reveal. Kingston Ontario.
2016 Self-y. Union Gallery off-site exhibition, curated by Madeleine Leisk.
Kingston Frameworks, Kingston, Ontario.
Commissions
Public
2021 Destinations, Apostasy, Cezanne's Closet, Union Gallery. Kingston, Ontario.
Annual fundraiser for gallery, artwork donated.
2020 Terpenes, Chrontact Cannabis, Ottawa, Ontario.
Four acrylic 3ft x 2ft paintings of terpene chemical compounds.
2016 Art Battle, The Royal Society of Canada, Kingston, Ontario.
Acrylic painting completed in 2hrs.
Publications
2020 Yours Series, Visio Magazine volume. 1 issue. 4
Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.
2020 Organized Chaos, Visio Magazine, volume. 1 issue. 3
Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.
2020 My Mentality, Visio Magazine, volume. 1, issue. 1
Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.
2019 Malasia, Show and Tell: The Art of Storytelling. Kingston, Ontario. 17, print.
2017 You like?, Do you like me now?, Does this please you?, How about now?
Collective Reflections, Volume 4. Queen’s University, Kingston. 18, 19, 85. Print.
2016 Barn Yard, Before, Bridge of Serendipity, Utopia, and Fairy Spirit
Undergraduate Review, Volume 28. Queen’s University, Kingston. 48, 58, 63, 85. Print.
Grants
2020 Special Merit Scholarship, University of Ottawa.
2015 Gerald Finley Bursary in Fine Arts, Queen's University
2014 William and Patricia Sheets Memorial Entrance Bursary, Queen's University.