Paul Elia

Paul Elia is a graduate of The Ontario College of Art and Design, where he began integrating Drawing and Painting with Digital Media. He has since exhibited work in various notable galleries and worked closely with eminent Toronto artists Judith Doyle and Ben Woolfitt. In 2007 Paul moved back to his hometown of Hamilton and started the Hamilton Strip series. 

These photo-based illustrations depict post-industrial cityscapes of Southern Ontario (including Hamilton, Toronto, Brantford, and Windsor). Entire city blocks are recreated, often highlighting the surreal contrast between the imposing industrial shells from a manufacturing history and the residential development around it. The limited edition archival giclée prints are up to 8ft. long, allowing the viewer to literally walk down the block. Each piece is composed with dozens of photographs that are digitally stitched back together. The collected images provide a template that is digitally painted over, or “rotoscoped” for a stark illustration of a cohesive scene.