Kira Sabin
Kira Sabin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kira Fennell March 22, 1999 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Instagram information | |
| Page | |
| Genre | Art |
| Followers | 128 K |
| TikTok information | |
| Page | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Genre | Art |
| Followers | 313 k |
| Last updated: October 12, 2025 | |
Kira Sabin (born 22 March 1999) is an American nature and wildlife painter, best known for their involvement in the Federal Duck Stamp contest.
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Born Kira Fennell, Sabin grew up alongside their twin, Kess Fennell, in the small town of Hutchinson, Minnesota.[1][2] Both siblings wanted to become artists from a young age,[1] and were influenced by their mother, who was a graphic designer.[3]
Sabin began writing a novel at age 16, and self-published the work, titled i once met a Girl who paints the lines on roads, through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing in December 2017.[4]
Sabin and their twin attended Hutchinson High School, where they both earned top marks in AP Art.[5] Sabin also won awards for their art in regional high school competitions.[6] After graduating from high school in 2017, Sabin attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, graduating in 2021 with a degree in painting and drawing.[1][3][7]
Art career
[edit | edit source]After graduating college, Sabin began pursuing art as a professional career.[2][3]
In 2023, Sabin painted a mural of a cow in Hutchinson, Minnesota as part of the city's mural project.[8]
Federal Duck Stamp contest
[edit | edit source]In 2019, Sabin was introduced to the Federal Duck Stamp contest by their grandfather, who was a waterfowl hunter.[1][9] They entered the contest for the first time that year, with a painting of a black-bellied whistling duck. Neither their 2019 entry nor their 2020 entry, of red-breasted mergansers, made it past the first round of judging.[1] Sabin was the contest's youngest competitor in 2020.[10]
In July 2021, Sabin began posting about their newest Federal Duck Stamp entry on TIkTok.[1] Their videos went viral, with the initial video ultimately gaining more than 2.6 million views, giving Sabin 200,000 followers.[1][9][10] Several publications, including BuzzFeed News[10] and CBS News,[11] credited Sabin with "reenergizing" the competition, and popularizing it among social media users. Their 2021 entry, which featured two Ross's geese,[12] did not initially make it past the first round of judging, but was picked by a judge to be included in the second round of judging.[1]
Sabin's 2022 entry, featuring a Mottled duck hen, made it to the second round of judging in the contest.[1] Their 2023 entry, of northern pintails, did not.[2] Sabin's twin, Kess Fennell, also entered into the Duck Stamp competition in 2023, with a painting of Harlequin ducks.[1][2]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Sabin is non-binary, and has used she/her and they/them pronouns.[11] They married their partner, Greyley Sabin, in 2022.
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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External links
[edit | edit source]- 1990s births
- Living people
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- 21st-century American painters
- American LGBTQ painters
- American non-binary artists
- American TikTokers
- American bird artists
- LGBTQ people from Minnesota
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design alumni
- Non-binary painters
- People from Hutchinson, Minnesota
- Painters from Minnesota