Brent Heighton Canadian, b. 1954
My paintings are simply an invitation to feel the light, the mood, and the quiet joy I experience in the moment of creation.
Brent Heighton (born 1954, Canada) is a celebrated Canadian painter known for his luminous watercolors, acrylics, and oils. After early studies in Ottawa and Vancouver, he left commercial art to pursue painting full-time, choosing personal creative freedom over deadlines and design constraints. For more than 42 years, Heighton has travelled extensively through Europe, Mexico, and across Canada, drawing inspiration from shifting light, architecture, and natural landscapes.
His work ranging from impressionistic seascapes to atmospheric street scenes that has been exhibited internationally in New York, Tokyo, Germany, Belgium, Holland, the U.S., and Mexico, and is held in private and corporate collections in over 30 countries. Heighton continues to evolve his practice, exploring new ideas while remaining committed to capturing the emotional connection between artist, subject, and viewer. He is currently living and actively working as a full-time artist.
Brent Heighton is a Canadian painter whose four-decade career is defined by a deep fascination with light, atmosphere, and the emotional power of place. Renowned for his expressive watercolors, acrylics, and oils, he has built an international reputation as an artist who transforms everyday scenes into luminous, intimate moments.
Brent Heighton (born 1954, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian painter whose career has spanned more than four decades and whose work continues to evolve with a restless creative energy. After attending Algonquin College of Fine Art in Ottawa (1974-75) and Douglas College in Vancouver (1976-78), he initially worked in the commercial art field. Disenchanted by rush deadlines and executing others’ ideas, he made the decisive shift to become a full-time independent fine-artist.
Heighton’s practice encompasses watercolor, acrylics and oils. He is best known for luminous landscapes, floral scenes, still-life and vibrant seascapes that capture the unique interplay of color and light in places as diverse as British Columbia and Mexico. Over the years he has travelled widely — Europe (France, Holland, Belgium, Greece), Mexico (where he winters with his family) and across Canada’s west — using his brushes and paints to record the varied light, architecture and natural settings that inspire him.
Heighton’s aesthetic is rooted in representational imagery, though he embraces both impressionistic and abstract touches to bring vibrancy and emotion into his scenes. A key motivation for his work, he says, is to create a connection: to “put your feelings on paper or canvas so that the person observing can experience the joy you had in painting that particular artwork.” He sees his journey as a continuous flight— “You get the plane off the ground … then there are mechanical concerns or foul weather systems that constantly test your mettle… and while I haven’t landed my plane successfully yet, at least I’m still aloft, and the propeller keeps on churning.”
Throughout his career, Heighton has exhibited internationally (New York, Tokyo, Germany, Belgium, Holland, U.S., Mexico) and his work is held in corporate and private collections in over 25–30 countries. He has been recognized by the Federation of Canadian Artists (B.C. Region) and is described as “the youngest artist to be elected member” in that region.