Kent McCain
Classical Realist Oil Painter
1945 - 2008
Artist, minister, philosopher, academic, businessman - all describe some phase of the life and work of Kent McCain. An artist and gentleman of the "old school", he was struck by the beauty of the world and all its cultures. Extremely articulate and possessing a huge vocabulary, McCain was a great conversationalist who loved books, classical and new age music, the National Parks and travel abroad.
After completing 2 undergraduate degrees, he went on to a masters in Theology with honors from Princeton Seminary in 1981, and then further graduate work at Columbia. But his prodigious artistic talent would not be ignored and after training for a life in the church, he chose to become a full time artist.
As a young boy growing up in Florida, McCain’s interest in drawing and painting had become evident. Seeking to encourage his gift, his parents arranged for him to study with a local and well known artist, Margaret Moore. This one-on-one tutelage, in an apprentice relationship, would remain his lifelong preference for developing his own artistic style. Drawn to the work of 19th-century French painter W. A Bouguereau, as well as that of Renaissance masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Caravaggio, McCain studied with several artists who favored the classical approach, namely Clifford Bailey, Dalhart Windberg, Carl Brenders and trompe l'oeil artist Bob Byerly.
His interest in disappearing world cultures inspired many of his highly finished oil paintings, most of which are done on panel with gessoed surfaces. Through his natural realism, McCain developed a unique signature style that is dramatic in its use of lights and darks with subtle blends and color mixes. His meticulous style emphasizes textures and refined brushwork on prepared surfaces, with a varnished finish.
During the fall of 1990, he spent weeks living with the Nepalese in the Katmandu Valley and in the high foothills of the Himalayas of Eastern Nepal. On return, he spent over a year to capture in his paintings the essence and exotic beauty of the culture and its people.
In 1993, he spent several weeks in Tibet, on a similar mission to portray a fragile and gorgeous culture before it changed from encroachment by the modern world.
In 1997, McCain journeyed to Northern Italy to capture the thrilling juxtaposition of water and the grand classical architecture of ancient cities and picturesque towns.
The great disappearing culture of his own continent, the Native Americans, did not escape McCain’s notice. Among his masterpieces are many beautiful Native Americans in ceremonial and traditional dress.
An Oriental influence is seen in his elegant and highly realistic Still Life paintings, with carefully arranged fruit and flowers, porcelain bowls or vases on black lacquer tables. Many feature as a further backdrop a rare Oriental silk painting or other antique artifact.
In recent years he developed an interest in wildlife and landscape painting. His Great White Egret was selected for the Top 100 in the 2005 Arts for the Parks competition.
McCain originals sold for many years at the Pam Driscoll Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, as well as other galleries in the West. Currently originals can be see at the Galerie Kornye in Dallas and New Masters Gallery in Carmel.
In his years as a full time professional artist McCain produced and sold a large body of work consisting of nearly 150 paintings, more than 1/3 of which were scanned for giclee reproduction . This web site will rotate those images so that eventually all work on offer can be seen.
"So much to paint and so little time," he liked to say with a smile.
Classical Realist Oil Painter
1945 - 2008
About The Artist: Kent McCain
Artist, minister, philosopher, academic, businessman - all describe some phase of the life and work of Kent McCain. An artist and gentleman of the "old school", he was struck by the beauty of the world and all its cultures. Extremely articulate and possessing a huge vocabulary, McCain was a great conversationalist who loved books, classical and new age music, the National Parks and travel abroad.
After completing 2 undergraduate degrees, he went on to a masters in Theology with honors from Princeton Seminary in 1981, and then further graduate work at Columbia. But his prodigious artistic talent would not be ignored and after training for a life in the church, he chose to become a full time artist.
As a young boy growing up in Florida, McCain’s interest in drawing and painting had become evident. Seeking to encourage his gift, his parents arranged for him to study with a local and well known artist, Margaret Moore. This one-on-one tutelage, in an apprentice relationship, would remain his lifelong preference for developing his own artistic style. Drawn to the work of 19th-century French painter W. A Bouguereau, as well as that of Renaissance masters such as Vermeer, Rembrandt and Caravaggio, McCain studied with several artists who favored the classical approach, namely Clifford Bailey, Dalhart Windberg, Carl Brenders and trompe l'oeil artist Bob Byerly.
His interest in disappearing world cultures inspired many of his highly finished oil paintings, most of which are done on panel with gessoed surfaces. Through his natural realism, McCain developed a unique signature style that is dramatic in its use of lights and darks with subtle blends and color mixes. His meticulous style emphasizes textures and refined brushwork on prepared surfaces, with a varnished finish.
During the fall of 1990, he spent weeks living with the Nepalese in the Katmandu Valley and in the high foothills of the Himalayas of Eastern Nepal. On return, he spent over a year to capture in his paintings the essence and exotic beauty of the culture and its people.
In 1993, he spent several weeks in Tibet, on a similar mission to portray a fragile and gorgeous culture before it changed from encroachment by the modern world.
In 1997, McCain journeyed to Northern Italy to capture the thrilling juxtaposition of water and the grand classical architecture of ancient cities and picturesque towns.
The great disappearing culture of his own continent, the Native Americans, did not escape McCain’s notice. Among his masterpieces are many beautiful Native Americans in ceremonial and traditional dress.
An Oriental influence is seen in his elegant and highly realistic Still Life paintings, with carefully arranged fruit and flowers, porcelain bowls or vases on black lacquer tables. Many feature as a further backdrop a rare Oriental silk painting or other antique artifact.
In recent years he developed an interest in wildlife and landscape painting. His Great White Egret was selected for the Top 100 in the 2005 Arts for the Parks competition.
McCain originals sold for many years at the Pam Driscoll Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, as well as other galleries in the West. Currently originals can be see at the Galerie Kornye in Dallas and New Masters Gallery in Carmel.
In his years as a full time professional artist McCain produced and sold a large body of work consisting of nearly 150 paintings, more than 1/3 of which were scanned for giclee reproduction . This web site will rotate those images so that eventually all work on offer can be seen.
"So much to paint and so little time," he liked to say with a smile.
Through his natural realism, McCain developed a unique signature style that is dramatic in its use of lights and darks with subtle blends and color mixes. His meticulous style emphasizes textures and refined brushwork, with touches of trompe l’oeil, to bring it all to life.
