BIOGRAPHY
Cai Sepulis (she/they) is a queer illustrator, printmaker and art director with over 20 years experience in the field. She is a creative thinker and visual storyteller. Her work and inspiration comes from a diverse background including a philosophy degree, some time in film school, an architecture degree, work as an Art Director for a multi-national advertising agency and she’s currently accredited by RGD Ontario as a Registered Graphic Designer. Her work has been used on countless beer cans, packaging and in national advertising campaigns for clients including Brickworks Cider, Second Cup and festivals such as the Hilslide Festival, Word on the Street (Toronto), HotDocs and much more.
Cai is also co-owner and illustrator/designer/art director of the award-winning publication TOQUE Magazine (a south-western Ontario lifestyle lookbook which focusses on regional food, drink, travel, destinations and stories). Cai works primary out of TOQUE’s Hamilton office. During TOQUE’s time in Hamilton, they’ve worked with numerous local artists including illustrator Michael Byers and highlighted dozens of local Hamilton businesses within TOQUE’s pages including Dundurn Market, Mulberry Coffeehouse, The Cotton Factory, Donut Monsters and Detour Coffee.
ARTIST STATEMENT/CREATIVE VISION
As a queer illustrator and printmaker (she/they), I’m interested in the accessibility of art and how, in the idea of my work existing in multiples, allows for a wide range of folks to have access to it. Posters, books, prints, beverage cans, packaging, I believe art is meant to be shared. I’m equally interested in the overlap and objectiveness of personal perception and experience of the observer and how it add it’s own texture to the art work being viewed. I’m interested in how a single image or scene can mean many different things to different people through different memories and lived experience; through tone, colour and composition, I’m equally interested in guiding the viewer through a deeper direction of interpretation. I’m interested in the subtle nuances and hidden imagery that emerge as a viewer looks at a piece mulitple times, each time seeing something new and developing a new understanding. I’m interested in visually expressing what a moment in time looks like — What does it sound like as a visual and what does it look like with all the emotion, anticipation and expectations surrounding it.