My Portfolio

Southern Belle, 2026, Charcoal on Paper, 18x24
At Kaiden Oliver, the recent project *Southern Belle* captures classic Southern beauty through the tender portrayal of a young girl inspired by the artist’s younger sister, with a doll symbolizing the deep-rooted Southern identity and the power of genuine hospitality. This piece reflects the empathy and kindness emblematic of Southern culture, inviting viewers to explore the heartfelt traditions and warmth that define it.

Divine Incandescence, 2026, Oil on canvas, 36x48​
Personal connections and relationships are a flame that needs protection in everyones' lives. Many times, I have found that when I am down, or feel as though I have nowhere to turn, my friends or family help me through those tough times. In the current society the value of true connections has gone down. This piece is a reminder of the power in true, vulnerable, and loving connections. The hands symbolize a burning flame reflecting warmth and trust in connecting with one another. Their flame light up the room and reveals the incandescent vines connecting them. These symbolize the connections' beautiful growth and internal feeling of allowing their existence. When people allow vulnerability between one another, beautiful personal relationships are planted; my work to shows the spread of these relationships through the use of vines. Painting light in a dark scene was extremely challenging due to the high contrast between the darks and the lights created by the warmth of the light source. Adding warm colors like yellow over black creates a warm green; therefore, I used multiple layers to achieve the lighting affect. Ultimately these methods enhanced my understanding of incandescent light and the process of painting it.​

Ritardando, 2026, Oil on Canvas, 40x40​
This Piece alludes to an Italian musical term meaning to gradually decrease the tempo or slow down the speed of the music. The blurring background compliments the Idea of slowing down life as you can only focus on what is in front of you. There's eight-billion people on our planet, each person has ten-fold that in their own personal problems. During this time I felt overburdened with my school, life, family, and I couldn't seem to catch up with everything. Often when people go through similar experiences the burden of time is places upon them. This painting shows that it is only when you focus on that which you can control and deviate from that you cannot, that your life will clear up; flowing in a path that feels more tangible like the beautiful notes of music. Creating the scene of blurred lights took many layers of color to show their vibrance without them mixing. I used circular brush strokes and oddly placed highlights to show blur. At the end I took a small brush and added music notes flowing toward the future. Each brush stroke—carefully placed, took great concentration and attention to detail.​

Natures Nightlight, 2026,Oil on Canvas, 40x30​
I anticipate that fear will be a part of every journey I embark on. That said, since a child my family has shown me that fear is only frightening to those unwilling to face it. When I was a child, my biggest fear was of the dark. My father took me outside and showed me how to catch fireflies. We used them to light up my room in a way that showed me the beauty in things that I'm afraid of. It was the most beautiful nightlight a kid could ask for. The fireflies light up the scene in this painting which allows you to see the beautiful background. The expressions on our faces reflect the joy in being with those willing to help you on your journey through fear. This piece is about the beauty in facing what appears frightening with the help of your personal relationships. The process of creating this was very tedious. Using a single color, I captured value through placing burnt umber on the canvas and subtracting it. To do so I used various tools like q-tips, cloths, the back of brushes, palette knives etc. The method of subtraction taught me strategic planning and ultimately brought this piece together.​