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 !

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. 

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 .

Gigantic Youth , 2016   And the Landscapes Slide Away , 2016 Indivisible and Unchangeable , 2016 Glenn Who Lies There in his 8-Year-Old Body , 2016 The Earth on its Axis , 2016 Maria Kontis deals with themes of memory and the reinvention of the past by drawing from photographs. She often will deviate from the source material, like in removing the background for example, which is her way of rewriting those memories. I love that idea. I recently did a project for my figure drawing in which I did a similar thing--monochromatic sketches from family photographs. Kontis is definitely one I would look to for inspiration in continuing that project or others like it. To check out more or her work, visit this website .

Holy Rollers (Gospel Train)  1930  John Brown , 1939 Our Good Earth , 1942 American artist John Steuart Curry is famous for depicting scenes of life in the Great Depression. He has a realistic style, and a specific type of mark, sort of like pencil hatching and cross-hatching. I like how personal the scenes feel, even pieces like Our Good Earth  that looks like it could be on a propaganda poster. They all feel very real, which I think is what makes his art successful. To see more of his art, visit this website .

Pilgrimage of the Chameleon , 2016 Mother and Child , 2016 Saint Woman , 2015 Boy With No Past , 2014 She Was Learning to Love Moments, to Love Moments for Themselves , 2017 Amy Sherald was born in Columbus, Georgia, and received an MFA and BA in painting from universities in Maryland and Georgia. She is known for her colorful narrative portraits of black Americans with thought-provoking titles. I love her style with her color block backgrounds and limited palettes; I am also specifically drawn to her titles, because it makes it feel like these people could be good friends or strangers, and yet you still care about their stories. She is able to create a bond between the viewer and the person in the painting that I think is beautiful. To see more of her portraits, visit her website .

Delayed , 2012 Lost Track , 2018 To the Sea , 2014 or 2015 Crossing , 2018 The Well , 2010 Aron Wiesenfeld was born in 1972 and attended art school in New York and California. His work is moody, mysterious, and it hints at narratives with serious themes; the dark eyes, elongated bodies, and muted colors add to this eerie tone. I included some of my favorites & some that most intrigue me, but he has lots of other paintings (many more off-putting than these). I can't explain it, but I am simultaneously scared of and drawn to his work. If you want to see more, check out his website .