Double Vision: Siblings Blend Multiple Mediums
In downtown Bend, the walls of the Hot Box Betty boutique display a vibrant collection of art. These striking pieces come from “Golden,” a decade-long collaborative project. It features the distinct mediums of photographer Brown W. Cannon III and painter K.C. Cannon, who are siblings. Black-and-white photographs of horses and crashing waves become surreal. This happens with layers of oil paint, pennies, and flecks of gold leaf.
Roots of Creativity
The siblings were born into a life steeped in art. Brown studied at the ArtCenter College of Design. He spent decades traveling for publications like National Geographic Adventure. Influenced by his Colorado and Hawaiian family ties, he often focuses on horses and surf culture. His meticulously composed images reflect his perfectionism.
K.C.‘s vibrant, textured work contrasts with her brother’s photography. She trained as a dancer but shifted to painting due to injuries. K.C. refined her skills at the School of Visual Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design. Now based in Colorado, her intuitive work emphasizes symbolism and devotion. She shares that her vision is to her kuleana pono—the sacred responsibility to living in integrity.
The series called “Golden” began in 2012 and has since become the thread that pulls the siblings back together across distance and time. They work in flurries when timing is right. The first piece, “Lucky Penny,” came to fruition when K.C. was particularly struck by one of Brown’s images of a horse and rider printed on metallic gold paper. She tentatively asked if she could paint on top of it and the end result made it evident that this collaboration would be something special.
“Initially I wondered how our uniquely different personalities would match up,” said K.C. “But as it turns out, our differences are what allows each piece to stand out.”
The two art mediums are as distinct as the artists themselves, but that is what makes their collaborative pieces so striking. Brown approaches his images with a scientific exactness.
“I am a perfectionist of sorts,” he said. “When I hand a print over to my sister, my belief is that it is ready to be framed; however, she sees a canvas that has only just begun.”
K.C.’s job then is not to finish what her brother started but to expand it. She meets his precision with a deep intuition, revealing a new dimension to the images that isn’t immediately visible.
Their creations are striking, but for the siblings it’s less about the finished product. For them, the spark and beauty of their work lives not simply in the final image but in the act of creating art. The practice continues to draw them back to one another across years and miles. As K.C. puts it, “Creating with him is truly golden.”
Learn more about K.C. Cannon, or Golden, the collaboration of alchemy between sister and brother.
