Meet Your Neighbour: Art by Houghton

Born and raised in Thornbury, Jon Houghton graduated from Lakefield College School in 2003, after which he studied Fine Arts at Mount Allison University, majoring in Painting and Drawing. After three years at Mount Allison, Jon studied classical painting with the Aegean Center for Fine Arts in both Greece and Italy. He returned to Canada in 2008 to finish off his education with a year at Ontario College of Art and Design and then moved back to the Southern Georgian Bay area and opened a studio and gallery space in downtown Collingwood in 2010.

“Having a gallery and studio space in the same location in the heart of Collingwood Downtown enables me to both paint and sell my work while benefitting from the foot traffic in the downtown core.  It’s a great location with lots of natural light and so many unique small businesses that attract both locals and visitors to the area.  I love being able to grab a quick bite from favourites like Baked and Picked or Fig & Feta Greek Market and Eatery that are just steps away from the studio,” says Jon. “I draw a lot of inspiration for my work from my collection of photographs that I’ve captured while enjoying golfing, hiking the Bruce Trail, driving to and from work and of course skiing,” he continues.

Jon’s paintings are easily recognized by his bold use of colours and graphic style. He works with oil on canvas and his subject matter is largely made up of scenes from Georgian Bay, The Niagara Escarpment, and Toronto.  He is also part of the newly formed artist collective “Untamed Things” https://www.untamedthings.com/.

Fun Fact:  Jon’s studio and gallery is located in the smallest commercial space on Hurontario Street.

Find Art by Houghton at 161 Hurontario Street at the base of the Historic Gayety Theatre or on-line at www.jonhoughton.com/.  Follow him on Instagram www.instagram.com/jonathan_houghton/ to view his latest works.