About Me
People and plants from my travels and home life influence my artwork heavily. I am constantly seeking out and painting from the natural beauty I find in the every day flow of life. My paintings are a reflection of the inherent love and awe of the natural world that my parents passed down to me, and to which I find to be my greatest inspiration.
In these modern pandemic times, I’m not able to attend weekly live figure drawing sessions that have become such an important part of my practice, so instead I remain focused on creating my signature 3 dimensional oil paintings featuring dried plants, dead insects, and my friends as dynamic shadow-splashed subjects.
Growing up in Charleston, SC, then moving to Hawai’i and finally coming to teach in Nashville, TN, with countless domestic and international adventures in between, I have had the luxury of being around many different kinds of people and have found a real desire to help foster an inclusive atmosphere in the fine art world by portraying a culturally rich group of subjects. I deeply believe that the modern art scene in general, from its exhibiting artists to its muses, should be ever more representational of all the unique citizens of this earth, so I proudly use my work to lovingly highlight the beauty and character in everyday people from all over the world.
Bio
Caleigh Bird was born in Toronto in 1984 and was brought up in historic Charleston, SC. Luckily, this contemporary figure and portrait artist was highly encouraged by her family her entire life and was always involved in extra-circular artistic endeavors since the moment she could sit up. Caleigh has been intensely studying traditional figurative techniques since she was a young teenager, as well as drawing from live models regularly, in an effort to portray her muses as the amazing works of art they already are in real life. She now creates 3 dimensional figurative oil paintings using resin and natural found objects discovered on her travels.
Caleigh received her Bachelors Degree in Studio Art from the College Of Charleston then later received her Masters Degree in Studio Art at USC in Columbia, SC, while soaking up as many art history classes as possible. Caleigh attended two atelier programs at the Istituto Michelangelo in Florence, Italy as well as Studio Escalier in Argenton-Chateau, France, and has peppered her entire life with both international and cross-country adventures and museum visits.
In 2015 Caleigh relocated to O'ahu, Hawai’I, where the lush landscapes and culturally diverse population heavily influences her art to this day. Now in 2021 she has happily found her place among the enthusiastic educators in the Illustration Department at Nossi College of Art in Nashville, TN passing her love of fine art onto the next generation of creative thinkers.
Check out the Artist Blog for plenty of art demos, diary entries, adventures, and behind-the-scenes studio visits.
Wanna see me twirling, dancing, and bouncing through my hoop? Click here
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all original art images copyright Caleigh Bird 2021