Born in California, and living in the Southern Hemisphere since 1995, Kaisa (“Kai”) is an artist and student based in Sydney. She attends short-courses at National Art School and is a resident artist at One Plus2 Artist Studios in Rozelle.

A day of painting or drawing first starts with a cup of coffee and reading a randomly picked art book. Energy and inspiration may come from a quote, a picture, a life story from an artist, taking that moment of studying to give her a sign for what is to come from that day of painting. Often starting a painting by quickly drawing something figurative from a life drawing, it usually develops a life of its own, a bit of an erratic process but the finished picture is determined by a chuckle or some sort of resonance with the new figure. An often-sighed comment - “everything is haphazard” – expresses the randomness of life’s moment-to-moment decisions that are echoed in her painting methods.

Among Kai’s favourite artists are Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Willem de Kooning, who she draws on when “stuck”. There is a saying that ‘less is more’, and while sometimes attempting to condense subject matter, the tendency is ‘more is more’ when it comes to colour and slapdash embellishments. Studying and working through the picture plane’s “walls and windows” (an exercise from teacher Roger Crawford) is a constant challenge that she presses on with.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaisamay/

Email: jkaisamay@gmail.com

Phone: 0450 287717