Biography & Artist Statement
Kesra Hoffman, a native of Middletown, Maryland, has been painting landscapes of her home and travels since 1996. Growing up in an area rich with farmland and forests cultivated within her a passion for the natural world. She found a desire to share her excitement for the beauty around her as a child, traveling with her parents.
Kesra works mainly in gouache, acrylic and, most recently, charcoal. Her paintings and drawings portray the rich colors, dramatic moods and cohesive shapes of the water, landforms and skies reflective of her worldwide travels. “I find a thrill in the constantly changing dialogue between light and shadow in nature. For me, painting is about capturing that excitement and translating it onto paper.”
Also a primary source of inspiration for her work is the relationship and balance between man and nature. “It seems that so often we need to look hard to find nature in man’s world; I am always inspired when I must look hard to find man in the world of nature.”
Kesra grew up on a wooded farm on South Mountain, in Maryland, where her studio continues to be. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art in 1994 from Principia College in Illinois, and as a post-graduate, painted and studied art in Europe for two months with other Principia art majors. Then, after touring with cast E’95 of Up With People, she returned to Middletown to paint landscapes. She currently lives in Keedysville, MD, just 15 minutes from her studio.
Kesra exhibits her work in galleries, coffee shops, restaurants and other public places. She is a part of NOMA gallery, a co-op gallery with 22 amazing local artists located in downtown Frederick, MD. She also participates in the yearly Valley Craft Network Studio Tour, which is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. She’s incredibly grateful for the sense of community and friendships that have come from these two artist groups; they inspire her daily to be a better artist and a better human.
Kesra is a full time artist, painting landscapes and wall murals, binding books, and teaching classes, workshops and private art lessons. She travels worldwide to take painting workshops to keep her passion fresh, and incorporates these experiences into her artistic expression. After attending Nimrod Hall Summer Arts Program in Bath County, VA, for 3 years under master teacher Sara Poly, she participated for 4 years during “open” week, where artists work on their own, and taught for 5 years before it closed, in 2023. She's taught week-long workshops at Shrine Mont, in Orkney Springs, VA for several years, and has enjoyed pushing her boundaries through participating in some plein air events in Floyd Virginia. "I don't want to get stuck in a rut. I try to find opportunities that offer new experiences and allow for new growth." 
A shift in style:
In the last several years, Kesra's style of painting has changed. Here's what she says:
For years I’ve used gouache translucently on white watercolor paper, reveling in the luminosity glowing through thinned washes of color, and celebrating the pop of pigment when more vibrancy was needed.
But I’ve always known gouache is a versatile medium.
Recently I started playing with gouache on blue or tan or especially black paper, and found the effect quite compelling, even if a bit counter-intuitive. Instead of feeling dark and heavy, the contrast of color seems even more brilliant.
Painting on black paper requires choosing space for the color, committing to the paint, and claiming the light.
The duality of meaning is not lost on me and speaks to my mantra of looking up and seeking the the good, especially in the face of doubt and darkness. Every moment spent practicing this helps to quiet my heart.
Listen to an interview with Kesra on being an artist by Marc Vaillencourt on The Conversation Hub; October 25, 2011.