Gordon Leverton
Hamilton, ON
Award winning, self-taught visual urban artist. Gordon explores a theme common to the urban experience: how community connects us all.
Message
Why This Artist Paints the Parts of a City You Walk Right Past.
Gordon Leverton's art is recognizable at a glance: striking geometry, vibrant acrylic palettes, and shadows that stretch across surfaces like time. By isolating structures and simplifying form, he invites viewers to see familiar spaces with a fresh perspective. His work captures not just what a city looks like, but how it feels. It's a practice built on close observation, abstraction, and deep attention to what's often overlooked.
Being self-taught just means you found your own way in. That's exactly what Leverton did. With no formal art training, he turned to the city around him for inspiration. Rooftops. Alleyways. Side Streets.
He began breaking the built environment into planes of colour, light, and shadow-transforming the everyday into bold, graphic compositions that carry his unmistakable voice. His recognizable aesthetic and widespread presence resonate with audiences, forging strong connections through his art and collected in public and private collections throughout Canada, US, Mexico, and internationally. Leverton is proof of what's possible when you stay curious, keep working, and trust that your perspective matters.
Artist BIO - Award winning, self-taught, Canadian visual artist Gordon Leverton's love of the urban environment has informed his painting practice, placing landscape and architectural design at the forefront. In recognition of his artistic work, he achieved the 2024 City of Hamilton Arts Creator Award and 2023 City of Hamilton Art of Heritage Award for his significant role in educating people on Canadian heritage. He was elected to the Ontario Society of Arts and Society of Canadian Artists.
In early 2025, Leverton completed his first international art residency in Guadalajara, Mexico exploring the vast urban Mexico architecture landscape. His sold-out Mexican collection of work called “shadow. text. colour.” was exhibited at #Hashtag Gallery, Mexico City in May 2025.
During his residency, Leverton connected with Mexico City artist Harumi Tanimoto who shares similar views of cities, forgotten building and urban landscapes. Collectively they exhibited Día a Día / Day to Day- a collection of work inspired from their respective cities - during 2026 Zona MACO—the largest and most prestigious contemporary art fair in Latin America, at #Hashtag Gallery (CDMX).
Following Leverton's successful Día a Día / Day to Day exhibition he journeyed to Oaxaca (Mexico) for a self-directed art residency to create ¡viva color! -- new collection celebrating the vibrant colours, rhythms, and textures of everyday life—bright facades, layered architecture, and the energy of local markets in Lima, Peru and barrios in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Oaxaca (Mexico).
¡viva color! collection is now available at gordonleverton.com
Artwork: Acuerdo (Arrangement) – Gordon Leverton - Inspired from Coyoacán, CDMX, Mexico (available)
Statement
Press Release - ¡viva color! collection I Hamilton Spectator (Canada) - May 2026
Following Leverton’s successful 2026 Día a Día/Day to Day exhibition in Mexico City with a private viewing by the Honorable Marc Miller (Canadian Minister of Arts + Culture) and Canadian and Mexican cultural leadership, he presents ¡viva color! — a new body of work inspired by the architecture, light, and visual culture of Latin America.
This collection continues his exploration of urban space through bold abstraction, translating architectural environments into dynamic studies of colour, geometry, and atmosphere.
May 2026 — Gordon Leverton’s exhibition and artistic practice were featured in The Hamilton Spectator - “Creative POWER”, highlighting his practice, ongoing ¡viva color! series and his exploration of contemporary urban architecture and Latin American visual culture.
