C Kairns

I respond to the contrast between soft and hard, round and angled, form and line, across the landscape and the human form, but the human element of vulnerability makes expression in the figure less abstract. While we project ourselves into the landscape, we project ourselves onto the figure.

Paint or pencil -- the crook of a branch, the expanse of a field, the arrangement of planes, shadows, and colors -- perhaps creates a moment to contemplate, express, and share something authentic. A moment of connection that is rare with conversation.

My art is just one human response to a brief moment in a world.

There is no shortage of amazing landscapes in Oregon. I often paint landscapes in oil plein air (outdoors) or sometimes "van air" from my camper van. I work quickly and expressively to capture my impression of a scene. With oil paint, this means I work alla prima (direct wet-on-wet) but if it's a very hot dry day, those underlayers might dry a bit and I enjoy responding to the weather with dry-brush techniques as well.

I also paint and draw from life on paper with watercolor or ink-wash, often adding acrylic accents or textures, and pen and ink. For me, this media invites a quainter expression of detail, line, and structu...

I have always been at home in nature, growing up in California before migrating north, and ultimately settling in Eugene, Oregon. I suppose I'm a self-taught artist if that means I've never been to art school. But that doesn't mean I haven't learned a lot from others. My formal education has been focused on the sciences, which some people tell me comes through when I show what I see. I suppose both disciplines require observation, inspiration, and their fair share of obsessiveness.