Meet Andrew Kiss, Alberta Nature Artist

Andrew Kiss, lives in Calgary with his wife of 43 years. He began painting at about the time of his marriage and 17 years ago, he took the big leap of faith, and left his employment to make art his full time vocation.

Andrew is the first to tell you that being an artist, isn't always the most secure way to make a living. But, solid support from his wife Lynn and a strong dose of perseverance have helped him on his journey.

Andrew moved to Calgary, where his daughter Rita and son Lee, also live, 5 1/2 years ago, from British Columbia,

Like many artists, Andrew cannot remember when he didn't like producing art. And as the years passed he worked in cartography as a draftsman. Andrew says about his employer:
"The company I worked for was very lenient in allowing me to go do art shows and taking time off, they were really good that way."

They say that behind every good man is a good spouse. And in Andrew's case, Lynn supported him in his art pursuits. He started with landscapes but did wildlife for about 10 years and this saw him produce 110 limited editions in the print market. He later returned to landscapes and also produced small birds.

Its nice to know that he has received well deserved success. His art has allowed him to exhibit all over the world- Europe, Hong Kong, all over the US, many parts of Canada. And, It has also allowed him to travel to many places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Austria, New Zealand and many other places I would not have gone to if it wasn't for the artwork.

As far as technique and style is concerned, Andrew is a self taught artist, and he cannot attribute any other artist who influenced his work, and he feels that this is most important in setting an artist apart from others.

I am most impressed by the energy Andrew put into marketing himself by travelling extensively and by doing as many as 15-20 shows in a year and he is quick to share his appreciation for his son or daughter who would travel with him to help out, particularly in long drives to Los Vegas or Phoenix.

Andrew made a major shift in his focus about ten years ago, when he moved the bulk of his work over to galleries to handle his art and this freed him up with more hard earned painting time - although he still does occasional road shows. His works can be found in 6 galleries whose names can be found his website. He also does the Calgary Stampede every July and this has the largest juried art show in the west with only originals from approximately 75 artists,

As far as the future goes, he looks forward to continue doing what he is doing now, and most importantly he hopes to continue giving pleasure to people who see his work.

Andrew invites you to click here to check out his website. Its filled with great art, and is sure to give you a lot of insight into why he has become such a well respected artist.