Email: kaylafree.art@gmail.com
Instagram: @kayla_free_illustration

Kayla Free is a Toronto born Illustrator who found her love of drawing when she was a small bean. According to her late dad, at two years old she held a pencil for the first time like an artist and was enthralled with tearing pages out of magazines of images she liked. This method of finding source material for her weird, yet refined collage illustrations is still used today. She further honed her artistic abilities at OCAD University, where she graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor in Design, and a major in Illustration. 

She composes her illustrations with a doodle to start or from spontaneity, extracting colours and textures from found magazines, posters, and calendars which is then either hand cut and pasted or scanned and assembled digitally. She enjoys exploring themes of Biblical spiritual scripture throughout her work, conveying them in a child-like, whimsical visual narrative. 

Kayla’s work has earned her three International Art Magazine Awards with Creative Quarterly and Applied Arts, and had her work featured and was interviewed by the Globe and Mail for “Life on the Line,” a public art project and mental health awareness campaign on the Toronto TTC Subway in 2018. 

Her named is pronounced “Kay-LAH”

Awards: 
2015 Applied Arts, Student Award Winner
2015 Creative Quarterly 40, Runner-Up
2014 Creative Quarterly 36, Winner

Group Exhibitions: 
2025 Flora and Fauna, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2024
Under 100 Holiday Art Show, Northern Contemporary, Toronto

2023
The Reverie Show: The Secret Handshake 11th Annual Summer Group Show, The Secret Handshake Art Gallery, Toronto 

2018
Life on the Line: Launch Event & Art Exhibit, NO Foundation, Toronto
Art for Charity T.O. Presents: Coexisting with Wild Life, Anarres Natural Health Apothecary, Toronto
Under 100, Northern Contemporary, Toronto
Empurity, Electric Perfume, Toronto

2017
Fix Up Look Sharp, Northern Contemporary, Toronto
Never Real & Always True, Northern Contemporary, Toronto
Salon of Inclusiveness Holiday Show & Sale, Black Cat - Artspace, Toronto

2016
One Love Jam: Pop Up Art Show, Trinity Bellwood’s Park, Toronto

2015
TA12  2015, Tota Lounge, Toronto
OCAD University's 100th Graduation Exhibition, OCAD University, Toronto
RAW: Natural Born Artists: BOLD, Virgin Mobile Mod Club, Toronto

2014
Trap-ped After Twelve, The Rockpile East, Toronto
OCADU's Illustrative Drawing and Painting Class Exhibition, Artscape Youngeplace, Toronto

2013
The Beaver Show, Atomic Toybot Gallery, Toronto
Retrospective, OCAD University, Toronto
St. Patrick’s Eve - Art Show with Bands and Drinks, Velvet Underground, Toronto

2012
Emerging Artist Series, Smiling Buddha Bar, Toronto
Retrospective, OCAD University, Toronto
Fordmania! Atomic Toybot Gallery, Toronto  

Vending Events:
2023 Green Merchant Holiday Market, Toronto
2022 The Addams Family Christmas Bazaar: Back from the Dead, Toronto
2015 OCAD U Zine Fair, Toronto
2014 Canzine, Toronto
2014 OCAD U Zine Fair, Toronto
2013 Super Awesome Zine Fair, Toronto