You might not have known the artist, but you’ve probably admired some of EronOne’s art if you’ve explored Kingston. He often makes buildings his canvas – transforming them into vivid, energetic pieces of art. EronOne – also known as Aaron Forsyth – is a full-time artist whose work has made the city a little brighter. Focusing on large-scale residential, institutional, and commercial art projects, bright custom murals and design work are his specialty. He’s done murals for Daft Brewery and Frontenac Cycle. His most recent murals are two complementary pieces, at the waterfront pedestrian walkway at Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront and at the old coal dock in Portsmouth Village. We spoke with EronOne about his creative journey and what artistic expression means in Kingston. He’s humble and happy to share his design process – which most often starts with pencil and paper.
“[A project] always starts with sketching, just pencil to paper and I take lots of pictures when I see stuff that catches my eye for influence. I usually draw from there or try to put ideas to paper. I’ll always take a picture of the blank space, and then I superimpose my artwork onto that to show the client what it can look like and really help them visualize the end product.”
EronOne was a local store co-owner for ten years who finally made the transition to being a full-time artist. His interest in art started young though:
“Growing up I always liked Saturday morning cartoons and I would try and draw the characters that I’d see in the shows that I liked. Skateboarding and music has always been a big influence so I would try and draw skateboard-graphic styles I liked or band logos and album covers.”
It wasn’t until after several family trips to Toronto and Scarborough in high school, where Aaron witnessed eye-catching graffiti, that he began considering an art career. By taking arts-focused programs, specifically illustration and animation, in high school, he was able to study animation in college.
But for EronOne, spray painting was self-taught. He continues to nurture younger artists to get creative and have fun with the medium, holding a variety of art workshops within the Limestone District School Board and Kingston community.
“I’m always grateful when I have the opportunity to and just to spark an interest in a kid and then maybe they’ll be influenced the way I was. It’s nice to be able to share my background a little bit and I don’t mind public speaking, so I’m pretty comfortable doing that. It’s just fun. I like working with the youth, seeing what they come up with. And, if they get to use spray paint in those workshops, they definitely love it.”
EronOne has recently been focused on illustrating iconic Kingston, with his two newest murals. He was commissioned to add his artistic touch to the waterfront pedestrian walkway at Delta Hotels by Marriott Kingston Waterfront, adjacent to Confederation Park and Basin, and the coal dock turned deep-water dock on Lake Ontario, near the former Rockwood Asylum.
EronOne had access to Tourism Kingston’s photo library where he gathered photo inspiration for the project, but he already had ideas in mind for honouring his hometown. The collage-like mural reveals limestone city landmarks such as City Hall, the train located at the Visitor Information Centre, and the “Time” statue at Gord Downie Pier. His choice of colours – steely grey, a variety of blues, and black and white – tie the two murals together, evoking Kingston’s waterfront and limestone foundations.
EronOne describes the art he’s currently loving as “bright and busy,” mirroring his own work ethic. Despite his job not looking like a traditional 9-to-5, EronOne is pretty good at staying busy. You might find him practising distinctive styles of letters in his sketchbook or picking up a comic book at a downtown thrift store for inspiration. Perhaps you might see him skateboarding – an activity he embraces whenever he gets stuck in a rut.
“It’s like writer’s block. I just try and do something different – even just get outside, ride my bike, try and ride my skateboard. Just focus on one of the other hobbies that I have for a day or half a day to wait until I get inspired again.”
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EronOne continues to live, work, and create in Kingston, alongside his wife, son, and extended family. And for an artist, it’s simply a good place to be:
“What I like about Kingston is its proximity to Toronto and Montreal too, so I like to attend events and see friends and not have to live in the big city, which I always thought I wanted to do when I was younger. But as I got older and had my son – Kingston’s been great. I appreciate it more.”
EronOne emphasizes that every project is different. Clients can be very specific with their requests or give him a large amount of creative freedom. But all of EronOne’s art is similar in at least one way: spaces previously overlooked are transformed, brought to life, and add more ways to discover Kingston.
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EronOne’s mural at the former coal dock site in Portsmouth Village is part of a Tourism Kington project that is supported by the My Main Street Community Activator program. This program, funded by the Government of Canada through FedDev Ontario, supports local community placemaking projects. The welcoming mural and the “KINGSTON” sign at this site are the first steps in revitalizing this property: stay tuned for further improvements in 2022.
