Kestin Cornwall is a creative based in Toronto, originally from Windsor, Ontario. His father is Grenadian, and his mother is American. During his youth, he spent time with his family in Detroit, Michigan. Cornwall began his training at Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning in Oakville, Ontario. While completing the Art Fundamentals and Illustration programs, his interest in the arts grew significantly. Cornwall combines classical drawing and painting with modern digital reproduction and screen printing. He won the CAPIC Best in Show in 2006 and London's Young Guns Emerging Art award in 2019.

For the past 14 years, Cornwall has focused on creating progressive and relevant art. He uses various techniques involving hand drawings, digitally removing the human hand, and reintroducing the human element into his work. Cornwall's art explores culture and humanity's relationship with beauty, sex, nature, and a history of cultivation. His work also raises questions about equality, immigration, and what it means to be Black in North America. Cornwall's pieces examine how culture and entertainment, including film and other media, shape public perception of Black people and people of color in North American society. He critically examines political, social, and economic landscapes through compositions referencing media, popular culture, music, and art history. Cornwall enjoys challenging what’s considered “common” and believes it is the duty of an artist to add beauty to the world while invoking the unending social responsibility to capture thought, a lesson learned from Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei.

Cornwall’s influences include contemporary graphic realism, street art, and old comics, with a complementary factor of mystery that often mirrors timeless depictions of pop culture. Each of his pieces represents an analysis of society's obsession with ethnicity, beauty, age, and change.

Cornwall is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University and is one of the founding members of The Solid Black Collective, an OCAD University-affiliated group. He is currently working on several research projects, including his role as one of the lead creatives for IMFTO (It’s My Future Toronto), an initiative for youth designing Toronto’s future, founded by Dr. Dori Tunstall and currently led by Dr. Kathy Moscou. Cornwall is also one of the lead creatives behind NBA Creators, a design-focused program that leverages the NBA, Microsoft, and OCAD University’s platforms to elevate and increase exposure for Canadian illustrators and graphic designers who identify as Black, Indigenous, Asian, Hispanic, or Latinx.

Kestin Cornwall is based in the Greater Toronto Area, where he lives and works.

www.kestincornwall.com