Cecile Baird uses oil and colored pencil as her preferred mediums of choice. At the beginning of her career, she used to work in oils which she still loves and uses today, but about 15 years ago, she discovered and fell in love with colored pencils. Cecile realized that she could get better looks with colored pencils. She’s taking colored pencil to new heights - along with other contemporary colored pencil artists. Colored pencils are no longer just sketching tools but they are her fine art tools as her works show. After receiving Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts degrees from The Ohio State University Cecile worked as a graphic designer for several years before she turned to her talents to fine art. After she discovered the possibilities of colored pencils about 15 years ago, she has become one of the foremost colored pencil artists in the country.
Her realistic dramatic and style use of lighting make her work instantly recognizable. Cecile has authored the popular art instruction book titled “Painting Light with Colored Pencil.” The book was published in 2005 by North Light Books, and reprinted in the spring of 2008 in paperback. Cecile has won numerous awards in national and international shows and her artwork has been featured in several publications including 100 Ways to Paint Favorite Subjects and Paint-Illustrated Techniques for Every Medium. Artwork by Cecile has also been featured in The Artist's Magazine, American Artist, Southwest Art Magazine and International Artist. Cecile is a member of several professional art societies and groups.
