artists who inspire.

Encounter , 2008-09 Late Visitors , 2017 Lay-by , 2007 Theme Park Patron , 2014 Short Cut , 2006 Paul Fenniak is a Canadian artist born in 1965 whose eerie portrait scenes characterize his style. He skillfully uses lighting and expression to set this ambiguous mood--with these tactics, he can even make an amusement park scene look dark. I love his style and his muted palette and his ability to render. Check out more of his stuff on his website !

The Kiss , 1908 Expectation , 1905 Virgin Mother and Child   Music , 1895 Gustav Klimt was born in 1962 near Vienna in Austria-Hungary. He is characterized by his use of color and pattern in his portraits, which I think are beautiful! The wild designs give the pieces life rather than distract, which is a hard feat! I definitely want to implement this techniques into my own work. Please go explore some of his other work on this website , he is brilliant! (Disclaimer: It's difficult to find the original images of his work, because there are so many different versions and restorations, so I apologize if these are not exactly correct!)

Jeffrey T. Larson is a Minnesota-born artist who specializes in realistic portrait paintings. I absolutely love his ability to paint light. I specifically chose pieces of his with light and fabric in them, because I think they are stunning! Light and fabric, I think are two of the most challenging things to make convincing when painting, so I applaud him. Learn more about him on his website, and check out the links to his art. 

2016 How to Hold Baby   In Their Image , 2017 Leaning on a Mother She Gave Him the Mountains and He Gave Her the City, 2018 Us With Them and Them With Us , 2017 Caitlin Connolly is a young, Utah-based artist, and she is one of my very all-time favorite artists. I love her concepts of womanhood, motherhood, religion, family, spousal love, fertility. Her figures are uniquely hers, with motifs like triangle dresses and large feet. Her color palettes and oil painting textures are beautiful. Basically, she is everything I want to be as an artist! I just included a few paintings that I love, but please check out all her work on her website!

Aikosan , 2005 Almost Blue , 2009 Himself , 2005 The Distance Between You and Me , 2011 Wallflower , 2010 Jacques Moiroud is primarily a printmaker many of whose portraits come from encounters with people in his life. I have a recent respect for relief printers, since I did it for the first time two days ago! I am amazed at how detailed he can get (this is from his series called "The Big Linos," or linocut prints). I am most interested in his concept, how each portrait is meaningful, because at one time, he was in direct contact with that person. I think that's powerful. Check out more of his work on his website .

Breath of Life (From the Dust) Every Knee Shall Bow , 2008 On Equal Pedestals , 2016 Angel of Empathy , 2013 Sanctuary , 2016 J. Kirk Richards is one of my favorite Latter-day Saint artists because of the way he uses texture and earth tones, and how he is able to portray so much emotion even when many, if not most of his figures are faceless. I really resonate with his themes and concepts, and I think all of his work is just beautiful. Please check out more of his art on his website .

Untitled (Study for Tondus enclosure zoo, Onomatopoeia) , 2016   Untitled (It Means it Means; Beuys, Square Gasket) , 2013-2015 Untitled (Kids Playing on Raft) , 2015  Untitled (Itinerants Waiting for Labour Exchange to be Open) , 2017 Charles Avery is a Scottish artist who, as part of his artistic endeavors, has created an imaginary place known as "The Island" and within it, the town "Onomatopoeia." This idea sets the stage for a lot of his art, which I think is such a fascinating concept! Apart from that, I love his limited palettes, the way he can portray expression using minimal marks, and how he can successfully include many, many figures in a single drawing without making it feel too busy or overwhelming. I will be taking some notes from him on how to accomplish group portraits! To learn more about him and to check out more of his art, check out this website .

Caelum 18 Quidam 11, Time Reveals Truth Caelum 52 Quidam 43, To Wander Through Caelum 2 Jylian Gustlin, native to California, simply blows me away with her figure art. Everything about her style I love! The bright colors, the carefully chosen palettes, the loose lines, the expressive figures, the beautiful textures in the paint. I would love to practice some figure art in her style to help me find my own way of using color/texture/line effectively. I only included a few from two of her series called "Quidam" and "Caelum" in this post, but she has many others that are just as stunning. Please, please check them out at her website !

Barry McGee, born in 1966, is a painter and graffiti artist who is characterized by his stylized, grotesque figures. I really love his bright colors and his line work. I also love his attitude about how graffiti is art--he finds beauty and purpose in things that people traditionally reject.To see more of his work and watch some videos about him, go to this website. To read this touching article about his late wife, Margaret Kilgallen, their daughter, and his second wife Clare Rojas, go here .

Margaret Kilgallen (1967-2001) specializes in printmaking, painting, and graffiti work. Her stylized figures, her ability to arrange multiple images together to create a cohesive whole, her creative mind, and her ability to find art in unlikely places are admirable. She is not only one of my favorite artists, but one of my favorite people as well. She died when she was just 33, because she decided to forego chemotherapy for her cancer in order to carry her unborn baby to full term. She's honestly one of my heroes. Please check out her work and some videos about her and her artist husband Barry McGee at this website . Margaret Kilgallen (photo from Art21 ) Margaret Kilgallen (photo from The New Yorker )