Art Takes Flight: Christy Kinard’s Focused Precision Lands at Hilton Head Island Airport

When travelers step off the plane at Hilton Head Island Airport, they’re now greeted by a breathtaking work of art that captures the soul of the Lowcountry. Charleston-based mixed-media artist Christy Kinard has unveiled Focused Precision, a 16-foot-by-28-foot installation that stretches across a glass wall inside the airport’s new terminal — a piece that feels both personal and profoundly Southern.

Selected from more than 229 submissions by over 100 artists, Kinard’s design was chosen for its ability to represent Hilton Head’s beauty, grace, and sense of place. The work centers on a great blue heron, wings outstretched in flight — a quiet yet powerful metaphor for both travel and renewal.

“Seeing my work welcome visitors to Hilton Head feels like bringing my childhood memories home,” Kinard shares.

For Kinard, this commission was more than an artistic opportunity — it was a homecoming. Growing up, she spent summers in Sea Pines, surrounded by marsh grasses, soft coastal light, and the rhythm of the tides. Those early memories, from biking to Harbor Town to climbing the Sea Pines Lighthouse, inspired every brushstroke of Focused Precision.

“I used to sit on the porch and watch great blue herons take flight,” Kinard recalls. “They’re enormous birds, yet their movements are silent, intentional, and exact. Watching them rise into the air reminded me of airplanes — graceful, powerful, and sure of their direction.”

The Sea Pines Lighthouse, a recognizable landmark woven into the composition, grounds the piece in nostalgia and place. Its familiar silhouette, paired with the soaring heron, reflects both the spirit of flight and the comfort of home — two themes that define Hilton Head’s coastal allure.

Beyond its beauty, Focused Precision embodies a message of peace and connection. For Kinard, Hilton Head has long been a sanctuary — a place she associates with rest, renewal, and emotional healing.

“Hilton Head is where I found peace — and where I returned to heal,” she says. “I want travelers to feel that same sense of calm.”

The layered composition — with its washes of coastal blues, textural details, and hand-torn paper elements — mirrors Kinard’s signature style. Her process blends paint, fabric, and vintage material to create a tactile sense of memory, transforming the everyday into something timeless.

While Kinard’s work is already collected by names such as IBM, SPANX, Emily Giffin, and Dr. Nancy Snyderman, Focused Precision represents something entirely new: public art with purpose.

“Having my work in a public space is a dream come true,” she explains. “When collectors bring my paintings into their homes, it’s always an honor — but public art reaches people on a different level. It allows me to share joy, beauty, and togetherness with travelers who may never have seen my work otherwise.”

For her, the project marks a pivotal moment — one where her lifelong dedication to storytelling through art expands beyond private collections and gallery walls.

“My art has always been about connection,” she says. “Now it has the chance to connect with the world.”

Christy Kinard is a nationally recognized mixed-media artist based in Charleston, South Carolina. Her richly textured floral compositions and layered abstractions celebrate beauty, strength, and Southern identity. A graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and the Atlanta College of Art, she began selling her work professionally at just 18 — with her first client being IBM.

Today, Kinard’s studio practice continues to evolve, collaborating with interior designers and collectors across the Southeast. Her art lives in homes, galleries, and now, in one of the South’s most welcoming public spaces — Hilton Head Island Airport.

“Art has the power to make us pause,” she reflects. “To breathe, to remember, to feel connected. That’s what I hope this piece gives people — a moment of calm, even in motion.”

Focused Precision can be viewed at the new Hilton Head Island Airport terminal.

Discover more of Christy Kinard’s work at christykinard.com or on Instagram @christykinard.