Anthony M. Cairo (B. 1993) is a traditional artist living in Lansing, Michigan. He received his BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design in 2015 with a focus in drawing. After graduating, he took on an apprenticeship at the Michigan State Capitol Building with his mentor, Josh Risner, learning traditional oil painting techniques and fundamentals of decorative art restoration. In 2017 the artist began teaching himself how to paint landscapes after viewing an impactful exhibition of plein air works by Frederic Edwin Church and Claude Monet at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Today he works as an Artist for the Michigan State Capitol, and a nationally awarded landscape painter. His work can be found in various private collections in the United States, including the Michigan State Capitol. His paintings are regularly exhibited in the United States, and have been featured in Southwest Art and Plein Air magazine.
“The complex and endless beauty of the natural world is my greatest influence. I still find magic in these spaces, and they have become my greatest teacher. I value the miraculous and complex color harmonies observed in nature primary to subject matter. I choose subjects that inspire me through their lyrical depth in color and atmosphere. This approach helps me to think more abstractly about what I’m painting, why I’m painting, and forces me to try new things.
As a Michigander, my love of plein air painting and backcountry backpacking provide regular sources of inspiration and excitement into my artistic explorations. I am consistently exploring subjects of nature, mostly in oil, by observing and studying directly in the field. Absorbing the experiences of light, color, and atmosphere is an important step in my process to communicate an intimate visual perspective. When I am in the studio, I use color sketches, photographs, and memory to recreate these meaningful experiences. My focus is generally being true to the emotional quality of the color harmonies and atmosphere of a moment in time. Although my paintings appear realistic at a distance, I use direct, abstract mark-making to capture the lifelike quality of these momentary experiences.”
CV
Education
Nov. 2016 – Nov. 2019 Decorative Painting Apprenticeship, Michigan State Capitol (Lansing, MI)
Aug. 2011 – May 2015 BFA in Drawing, Honors Graduate, Kendall College of Art and Design (Grand Rapids, MI)
Career Experience
2016- Now Artist for the Michigan State Capitol Building - www.mscarts.org/about
Exhibitions
2024 Solo Exhibtion (July 9th-August 25th), In Bloom, Shiawassee Art Center, Owosso, MI - Interview Link
2024 Group Exhibition, 43rd Annual Adriondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolor, View, Old Forge, NY
2024 Group Exhibition, Light on the Easel, The Rice Gallery of Fine Art, Overland Park, KS
2024 Two-Person Exhibition, Jennifer Ross and Anthony M. Cairo, The Okemos Library, Okemos, MI
2023 Plein Air Competition/Exhibition, FRESH! Plein Air Event, Suzanne Haskew Arts Center Milford, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, Small Works Show, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, Pawtucket, RI
2023 Group Exhibition, 94th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition, Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, 2023 Great Northern Art Explosion, AuSable Artisan Village Center, Grayling, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, 90th Annual Juried Exhibition of the Hudson Valley Art Association, Lyme Art Association, Old Lyme, CT
2023 Group Exhibition, 42nd Annual Michigan Fine Arts Competition, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Birmingham, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, Members Juried Show, Shiawassee Art Center, Owosso, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, Discovering Traditions: Landscape Painting, Artworks, Big Rapids, MI
2023 Group Exhibition, Environments, Honorable Mention for “Sunbathe”, Kavanagh Gallery, St. Charles, IL
2022 Group Exhibition, 78th Wabash Valley Exhibition, Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, IN
2022 Group Show, Small Works Exhibition, Northville Art House, Northville, MI
2022 Plein Air Competition (Placed 3rd), FRESH! Plein Air Paint Out, Suzanne Haskew Art Center, Milford, MI
2021 Group Exhibition, Plein Air Exhibition, Grand Valley Artists, Grand Rapids, MI
2020 Group Exhibition, Real People, Old Courthouse Figurative League, Woodstock, IL
Workshops
2024 July Plein Air Workshop at Ghosthouse Studio in Grand Rapids, MI -
2023 Plein Air Painting Workshop hosted by Artworks in Big Rapids
2022 Decorative Painting Workshop hosted by Artworks in Big Rapids (Big Rapids, Michigan)
Presentations
2024 “The Art of Restoration” a presentation of an Artist’s Career hosted by the Brighton Public Library
2023 Artist Demonstration hosted by the Mid Michigan Art Guild in Lansing, MI
Awards
2023 David Metteri Memorial Art Award at FRESH! Plein air Paint Out hosted by the Suzanne Haskew Art Center
2023 Honorable Mention for “Sunbathe” at Kavanagh Gallery, St. Charles, IL
2022 3rd Place at the FRESH! Plein air Paint Out hosted by the Suzanne Haskew Art Center
2021 Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 under 31
2021 10th Annual Plein Air Salon Finalist (Best Artist Under 30)
2013 Scholarship of Merit at Kendall College of Art and Design
2011 Art Day Scholarship at Kendall College of Art and Design
Publications
2021 www.southwestart.com/featured/21-under-31-anthony-m-cairo
2021 10th Annual Plein Air Salon Best Artist Under 30 (June/July issue)
2014 Studio Visit Magazine Vol. 26, New American Paintings