Kevin Nguyen-cao - Artist Statement

Kevin is of Vietnamese heritage and believes his creative instincts can be attributed to artistic and philanthropic grandparents who reflected much of their experiences and culture in their work.  Kevin’s joy in drawing showed at a young age but unlike those who knew better, he didn’t put away his pencils as he grew older and decided to pursue an architectural education.  Kevin has completed numerous building design projects in nearly 30 years of practice and stubbornly continues to stick with pen and paper, especially when he’s had enough of eye-straining computer monitors and mouse clicks for one day. 

Having aspired to paint for some time, Kevin finally began to experiment with acrylic paints on canvas a few years ago at the urging of his wife.  His love of outdoor adventures, travel experiences, and cherished family time serve as inspiration for painting subject matter.  His years following his biathlete daughter around Canmore, Alberta, and Western Canada for training and competitions instilled an even deeper appreciation for the region. Kevin is particularly grateful for the daily opportunity to express the beauty of the prairie and mountain landscapes of his home province.  He is also interested in tackling architecture, urbanism, and the changing environment around us in future paintings, although he would be just as fine taking a break from those topics altogether.

Kevin doesn’t prefer any particular style of painting but does strive to achieve strong mood and feeling by exploring depth, colour, lighting intensity, and brush and palette knife techniques in his work.