Kat Cearns (b. 1989, Canada)
Professional Experience
2010-Present Self-employed Visual Artist
2026 Illustrator, A Perfect Word to Gift the Moon, Heritage House Publishing, Victoria, BC
2024-2026 Arts Educator, McMillan Arts Centre, Parksville, BC
Awards, Scholarships, and Grants
2026 Goodall-Rich Johnston Award for Painting, Vancouver Island University
2025 EJ Hughes Memorial Award in Visual Arts, Vancouver Island University
2024 Mature Student Scholarship, Canadian Federation of University Women
2024 Explore and Create, Concept to Realization Grant, The Canada Council for the Arts
2022 1st Place, Exquisite Corpse Collaborative Painting, BC Culture Days, Parksville, BC
2022 3rd Place, Ekphrastic Celebration, Nanaimo Art Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
2022 Peter Robinson Award of Excellence - Graduating Fine Arts Scholarship, Comox, BC
Residencies
2023 Almost Perfect One Month Artist Residency, Tokyo, Japan
Exhibitions
2026 Group Exhibition, Fragmentations, The View Gallery, Nanaimo, BC
2023 Solo Exhibition, Flux and Feline, The McMillan Arts Centre, Parksville, BC
2023 Solo Exhibition, Cat Lady, Almost Perfect Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2022 Online group exhibition, Ekphrastic Celebration, Nanaimo Arts Council, Nanaimo, BC
2022 Group Program, Return to Water, Comox Valley Art Gallery, Courtenay, BC
2022 Student Art Exhibition, North Island College, Comox, BC
2020 Solo Exhibition, Life is Good, The Old School House Arts Centre, Qualicum Beach, BC
2018 Art in Bloom group show, The Old School House Arts Centre, Qualicum Beach, BC
Bibliography
2026 Featured Artist, Oceanside Collective, Summer, Mid Island, Oceanside, Culture & Art, Volume 1
2020 Interview with Emily Vance. ‘Nothing else feeds my soul like that’: Coombs artist makes whimsical, colourful paintings. Parksville Qualicum Beach News
2018 Interview with Leah Collins. Ruff job, but somebody's got to do it...Why these Canadian artists do dog portraits. CBC Arts Online
Podcasts
2023 Almost Perfect Podcast, Kat Cearns, August 2, 2023
2020 Pour Your Art Out Podcast, Kat Cearns- Life is Good, September 4, 2020
Education
2024 Bachelor of Arts, Visual Arts Major, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC. Expected completion December 2026
2022 Fine Arts Diploma, Graduated with Honours, North Island College, Comox, BC
2009-10 IDEA (Illustration and Design), Capilano University, Vancouver, BC
Collections
Private Collection, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
Private Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Private Collection, Tokyo, Japan
Private Collections, Canada