About Me

Hi, I’m Ceren McKay, artist, designer, and the creative mind behind the work you see here.

Art has always been part of my life. It just took different forms over time. In the early ’90s, it started with theatre and music; storytelling in its most immediate, emotional form. That love of expression led me to visual storytelling, which pulled me into graphic design. I earned my BFA in 1998 and later explored digital media and printmaking as a guest artist at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Whether I was working with movement, layout, or color, one thing stayed constant: creating something original and expressive.

Over the years, I’ve worked across borders and disciplines; designing for Scandinavian magazines, exhibiting photography and graphic art in Gothenburg and Stockholm, and later joining art communities in Canada. Since moving to Canada in 2008, my creative focus shifted toward painting, especially after becoming a mother. I needed flexibility, but I wasn’t willing to give up on making art. Painting gave me that balance. It let me stay close to home while staying connected to who I am.

In 2012, I opened my home studio in Kelowna, where I continue to turn layers of experience (Turkish, Swedish, Canadian) into abstract acrylic paintings and mixed-media work. 

At the same time, I never stopped loving graphic design, typography, or problem-solving through visuals. 

CerenMcKay.com is where all this history comes together. Here, original artwork is transformed into a curated collection of contemporary lifestyle pieces and artistic accents for the home. Each creation starts with a real painting or design created in the studio, moving away from mass-produced designs and made to stand out in a sea of sameness. By focusing on a slow fashion, on-demand model, every piece is crafted specifically for you, ensuring a more intentional and sustainable process.

This site is the sister to the digital shop, CerenMcKay.Store, where high-res printable art and creative tools are offered for those seeking originality.

This new chapter brings together everything built over the years: bold painting, thoughtful design, and a deep belief that we don’t have to choose between beautiful and functional, or between passion and practicality. This space is for people who care about originality, love a good design, and want the things around them to feel a little more them.

Thanks for stopping by.

Ceren ❤️