Personal Space: Inside Illustrator Carson Ting’s Art-Filled Home Studio

In 2007, Carson Ting moved  from Toronto to the West Coast with a plan: he’d work for his dream marketing agency for two years, then head back to the 6ix. “But I fell in love with Vancouver,” he says while sipping green tea in his West End home nearly two decades later. Looking around the whimsical, climbing condo (count five small sets of stairs zig-zagging up to the top level), flooded with natural light and splashed with colourful artwork, it’s easy to feel that love.

Ting’s advertising days are behind him, too—he’s now a full-time artist and designer creating bright, playful illustrations that embrace both fine detail and abundant movement. You’ve likely seen Chairman Ting art around the city (a panorama dressing up the former Nordstrom space, custom badges for Christine Sinclair’s retirement celebration, intricate murals in the Nicola Wealth and BCAA offices), and the walls of his family home serve as a personal gallery of curated favourites. How does he pick which works to display? “It’s usually up to her,” Ting answers, nodding to his wife, Denise. After all, he credits her for many of his wins—she tracks down the marketing teams of global brands (ever heard of Adidas?), leading to the collaborations and commissions that have skyrocketed his career.

While the artist has always had the same workspace—a skylit nook on one of the upper levels—the rest of the home has adapted as his family has grown. Thanks to the couple’s two children, Audrey and Quinn, fine art lives among doodles, play food and stuffed animals. Ting spends most of his work time at the computer, but his home’s angled, open architecture allows him to stay connected to his family and take in all the sun he can get. “I think in my previous life I was a solar panel,” Ting jokes. “Sometimes I work with my shades on.”

Open Gallery

One of the prints hanging above the work desk is Masquerade by L.A.-based artist James Jean. “There is a lot hidden in this piece, and it feels like I can always find something new if I stare at it long enough,” says Ting.

In Store

“This one is actually from Ikea,” Ting notes, explaining that, in 2017, the flat-packed furniture brand commissioned artists (like Brooklyn-based Kevin Lyons, whose work is pictured here) to create limited-edition posters.

Star Power

These 3D-printed Space Buns were part of an exhibition at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden in early 2023. “We commissioned a guy in a basement in East Van to do the printing,” Ting says with a laugh.

Bun for All

Rabbits are all over Ting’s portfolio—he was inspired by the family’s two pet rabbits, Bella and Siu Fok. Siu Fok (“little fortune”) was rescued from the streets in Toronto. “And Bella was crazy… she lived to be 14,” says the artist.

Sketchy Business

There’s large-scale artwork galore in their home, but this framed doodle happens to be Denise’s favourite. It’s from the first-ever Chairman Ting solo art show, which took place at Walrus Home on Cambie back in 2012.

Pedal to the Metal

Ting says his work with Adidas was one of his big breaks. This hand-painted fixed-gear bike (donated by Bikes on Robson) was part of a Hong Kong art show sponsored by the brand.

Face Off

The random cartoon eyes and mouths on this piece come from Ting’s Billion Buns NFT project, which used the parts to create algorithm-generated characters.

Mini Me

Nine-year-old Audrey’s artwork is displayed alongside her dad’s—and she’s moved into the digital space, too. “She was using paper like nobody’s business,” Ting remembers. “When I got a new iPad, I had to give her my old one.”