About Brandon

Brandon Steen,  Contemporary Realism Painter

Toronto, Ontario

Brandon Steen is a heartfelt and passionate Torontonian. Raised in the city with pencils in hand as early as he remembers, taking the 504 streetcar to his very first art classes on King Street East in the heart of the old town. The English Bull Terrier walked into his life on the same street being King Street East at Sherbourne Street, from then on Brandon has been walking together with his beloved bull terriers throughout the streets of Toronto. 

Brandon is fuelled by history and the urban landscape. With a fascination for bricks he has buttered (painted) on so many structures in his paintings he has lost count. It is true, he often counts the bricks in his paintings. The highest number to date being over 24,000 bricks in one painting. His paintings have an energy, the soul of the old buildings and perhaps an energy held within the bricks. The energy within these old buildings is what speaks to him as an artist. What it tells him comes out in his paintings. A Brandon Steen painting brings the history back to real life, to be observed, thought about and discussed on as the city ages in time and space.  

Brandon paints out of his music filled studio in old Leaside with his bull terriers Fionny and Dolores by his side.  His home studio allows him to care for his artist wife Jane Holden who lives with disability and chronic illnesses. 

Brandon is an international award-winning artist and his art has shown on three continents, four countries and 19 cities.  Presently,  his art hangs in private collections in homes around the  globe, from America, Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France,  Finland, Germany,  Holland, Israel, Mexico and South Africa.

Brandon is Irish Canadian.  An English Bull  Terrier is always present at Brandon's feet in his studio. There have been 7 in his life and presently there are two terriers in his studio snoring and passing wind Dolores and Fionn.  Brandon loves cooking food for his family. Chet Baker can always be found filling his studio because Brandon is a huge fan of the man, his life and his music. He has been madly in love with his Janie for the past 30 years. His favourite colour is orange. His favourite tree is the birch. His favourite bird is Agelaius phoeniceus, the red-wing blackbird. Brandon is a long time frustrated fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs.