LEIGHA STILES

Artist Statement

Leigha Stiles (b. Pembroke, Ontario) is a multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in oil paint currently focussing a series of expressive self portraits. Stiles is a BFAH graduate from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She was the co-chair for the BFA graduating class exhibition, "(un)titled".

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Her work explores themes of mental health, the physical representation of mood disorders, and expressive self-portraiture. She was hospitalized from psychosis and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder/manic depression in January 2018. As well as being diagnosed with Epilepsy in August 2019.

Her work has been exhibited in different venues including Union Gallery in 2016-2019, 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

2018          Bachelor of Fine Art Honours, Queen’s University. Kingston, Ontario.

                  Advanced Printmaking. QU, 2016

                  Paint Media, QU, 2017

Exhibited Works

Group

2016           Self-y, Union Gallery off-site exhibition, curated by Madeleine Leisk.       

                   Kingston Frameworks, Kingston, Ontario. 

2016           Blank. Union Gallery group exhibition, Reveal. Kingston Ontario.

2017          Hey Sweetheart, Print Pulse 30: travelling group exhibition,

                  Arts and Media Lab at the Isabel Bader Center of performing Arts. Kingston, Ontario

2018          Vibes, Union Gallery group exhibition, Surface. Kingston, Ontario.

2018          Yours, Union Gallery group exhibition, Course of Action. Kingston, Ontario.

2018          (un)wavering, BFA 18 Group Exhibition, (un)titled. Kingston, Ontario.

2019          My Mentality, Kingston Coffee House, Artist of the month. Kingston, Ontario.

2019          Raggiana, Union Gallery group exhibition, Re:Union. Kingston, Ontario. 

Commissions 

Public

2016           Art Battle, The Royal Society of Canada, Kingston, Ontario. 

                   Acrylic painting completed in 2hrs 

2020           Terpenes, Chrontact Cannabis, Ottawa, Ontario. 

                   Four acrylic 3ft x 2ft paintings of terpene chemical compounds.

Publications

2016           Barn Yard, Before, Bridge of Serendipity, Utopia, and Fairy Spirit

                   Undergraduate Review, Volume 28. Queen’s University, Kingston. 48, 58, 63, 85. 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.

2019           Malasia, Show and Tell: The Art of Storytelling. Kingston, Ontario. 17, print.

2020           My Mentality, Visio Magazine, volume. 1, issue. 1 

                   Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.

2020           Organized Chaos, Visio Magazine, volume. 1 issue. 3 

                   Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.

2020.           Yours Series, Visio Magazine volume. 1 issue. 4 

                    Kingston, Ontario. Digital and print magazine.