David Louis Wall (1961-) is a self-taught artist who lives in Toronto, Ontario.
David was born and raised in the Regent Park area of Toronto. Around the year 2000, he took up painting, eventually becoming a full-time artist producing both large- and small-scale works.
Toronto Streetscape, David Louis Wall
David has a long-time association with the arts, drawing during childhood and started sketching throughout his young adulthood as a member of the artist group at Ales Liro’s studio run collectively with John Grube: professor at Ontario College of Arts and Design, and Clarence Barnes: a full-time time lecturer in the faculty of Engineering.
In 1996 David took up photography successfully selling photos to the press as well as private collectors until finally taking a serious turn towards sketching and painting. For the first couple of years as a committed artist, David’s paintings were mostly in oils and/or acrylic and mostly portraits. In 2002 David decided to make the criminal courthouses in Ontario his muse. He initially used oil pastels but then changed to watercolor exclusively in the fall 0f 2003.
Court Illustration, David Louis Wall
Court Illustration, David Louis Wall
During the early days of his attending judicial proceedings he noted that, unless the trial was of huge interest to the community, reporters and illustrators would not attend the day-to-day proceedings of the trial. David attends entire proceedings, and his focus is on observing and recording behaviors, fashion, and attitudes in current courtroom culture. He is known and accepted as “the artist” in several different downtown Toronto court locations. He is also known and admired among the Bohemian-spirited artists in the Church/Wellesley community downtown Toronto, where he lives and paints.
Old City Hall, David Louis Wall
Historic Toronto Home, David Louis Wall
Besides the courtroom work that David loves to pursue, David is making a name for himself painting old homes and streetscapes. These paintings have a fairy-tail enchantment about them. Usually, he finds himself about to be demolished, or homes with a heritage designation. He sees old homes around Toronto that are abandoned and captures the old worm charm the once possessed. The way he creates nature usually infers the landscape that would have surrounded the property in its glory. “I feel the home's energy and urgency to be alive in a painting one last time” And this connects to his beliefs with his courtroom work around leaving a historical footprint. This is one of David’s underlying drives and the common thread that ties all his work together.
David’s most recent project is the OAC Deaf and Disability Arts Project which he started in 2017 and completed in 2019. David is working towards securing another OAC grant to continue his work.
