Signature Status Designees
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Leslie Adams
Leslie Adams is an internationally recognized American figurative and portrait artist known for her richly detailed narrative portraits and official commissions. A graduate of the New York Academy of Art and a Signature Member of the Portrait Society of America, Adams has created portraits for government leaders, universities, and cultural institutions throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Toledo Museum of Art and is celebrated for capturing both the individuality and humanity of her subjects. In 2013, Adams won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Harry Ahn
Harry S. Ahn is an internationally recognized portrait artist known for religious and historical oil paintings. He taught at Andrews University for many years and became known for portraits connected to Seventh-day Adventist history. One notable work is his portrait of James White created for the James White Library at Andrews University. Ahn studied at the MSH Studio School of Art and is recognized for portrait paintings emphasizing depth of humanity and the beauty of the soul. In 2010, Ahn the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Daud Akhriev
Daud Akhriev is a Russian-American painter, muralist, and sculptor known for his masterful realist portraits, figurative works, and landscapes rooted in the classical Russian academic tradition. Born in the former Soviet Union in 1959, he trained for fourteen years at the prestigious Repin Institute in St. Petersburg before immigrating to the United States in 1991. Akhriev’s work has been exhibited internationally and recognized by organizations including the Portrait Society of America and Oil Painters of America, with major public commissions and paintings held in collections across the U.S. and Europe.
Jing An
Jing An is a contemporary Chinese artist best known for her refined oil portraits that combine realism with poetic atmosphere. Her paintings often portray women in contemplative settings, using delicate color palettes, traditional motifs, and subtle symbolism to explore themes of identity, memory, and inner emotion. Influenced by both classical Chinese aesthetics and Western realist techniques, her work balances technical precision with emotional depth. Her art has been exhibited internationally and is admired for its quiet elegance and sensitivity.
Laura Arenson
Laura Arenson is a British contemporary artist known for her expressive figurative drawings and portraits that explore emotion, vulnerability, and human connection. Working primarily in charcoal, graphite, and mixed media, she creates dramatic compositions with strong contrasts and intimate detail. Her artwork has been exhibited internationally and has received recognition from several figurative and portrait art organizations. Alongside her studio practice, Arenson also teaches workshops that emphasize observation, sensitivity, and expressive mark-making.
Anna Rose Bain
Anna Rose Bain is an American figurative painter known for her expressive oil portraits and narrative scenes that celebrate everyday life and human connection. Her work often focuses on families, children, and multicultural subjects, combining classical realism with a warm, contemporary approach to storytelling. She is admired for her rich color harmonies, natural lighting, and ability to capture emotion and personality in her subjects. In addition to exhibiting her paintings internationally, she also teaches workshops and shares educational content for aspiring artists.
Robert T. Barrett
Robert T. Barrett is an American illustrator, fine artist, and educator celebrated for his classical realist paintings and compelling visual storytelling. His work often explores themes of faith, family, compassion, and human resilience, combining strong draftsmanship with rich color and expressive composition. Barrett has illustrated numerous books and publications while also exhibiting his fine art internationally. As a longtime professor of illustration at Brigham Young University, he has influenced generations of artists through both teaching and mentorship.
Gwenneth Barth-White
Gwenneth Barth-White is an American-born Swiss international artist, Maître Pastelliste of the Société des Pastellistes de France, Master Pastelist of the Pastel Society of America, and Signature Member and former faculty member of the Portrait Society of America. Raised in Geneva, Switzerland, she studied music before graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts and the École des Arts Décoratifs, later building an internationally recognized career as a portraitist inspired by the techniques of the old masters. Her work, focused primarily on the human figure, has been exhibited across Europe and North America and is held in collections worldwide. Barth-White has received numerous honors, including the International Association of Pastel Societies’ Prix de Pastel, and was among 10 distinguished international artists invited to promote pastel in Suzhou, China, in 2014.
Margaret Baumgaertner
Margaret Baumgaertner is an American artist known for her luminous portrait paintings and figurative work that emphasize warmth, personality, and human connection. She works primarily in oil and pastel, often focusing on children, families, and intimate everyday moments rendered with classical realism. Her paintings are admired for their soft light, refined color harmony, and emotional sensitivity. In addition to exhibiting her work nationally, she is also respected as an instructor and mentor in portrait painting.
Frances Bell
Frances Bell is a British contemporary figurative artist known for her expressive paintings that explore human presence, emotion, and everyday moments. After developing a childhood interest in drawing, and pursuing art and art history at school, she made her way to a classical training at Charles. H. Cecil Studios, Florence in 2001 for three years of study, and continued teaching there sporadically until 2011. Bell is a member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI), the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (RP) and The Contemporary British Portrait Painters (CBPP). Her work often blends realism with a loose, painterly style, focusing on light, atmosphere, and the subtle psychology of her subjects. She frequently paints figures in natural or domestic settings, emphasizing mood and narrative rather than strict detail. In 2025, Bell won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Michael Bergt
Michael Bergt is an American artist known for his richly detailed figurative paintings and drawings that blend classical techniques with elements of fantasy and surrealism. He has worked primarily in egg tempera for over thirty years and co-founded The Society of Tempera Painters, also serving as the organization’s president. Bergt’s art is influenced by Renaissance masters as well as contemporary narrative traditions, resulting in highly polished, imaginative scenes. His paintings have been exhibited widely and are held in both private and public collections.
Suchitra Bhosle
Suchitra Bhosle is an Indian-American contemporary realist painter known for her expressive portraits and figurative works that celebrate cultural identity and human connection. Her paintings often feature richly detailed depictions of people in everyday or traditional settings, with a strong emphasis on light, color, and emotion. Bhosle is recognized for blending classical realism with a modern sensibility, bringing warmth and narrative depth to her subjects. Her work has been exhibited widely and has received numerous awards in national and international art competitions.
Ned Bittinger
Ned Bittinger is an American portrait artist best known for his official government and institutional portraits, including multiple works in the U.S. Senate Portrait Collection. His paintings often depict historical figures, civic leaders, and military personnel with a strong sense of realism and dignified presence. Bittinger combines meticulous draftsmanship with careful attention to character, aiming to capture both likeness and personality. His work has been widely exhibited and is held in prominent public and private collections.
John Borowicz
John Borowicz is an American artist known for his richly detailed figurative paintings that often explore narrative, emotion, and symbolic imagery. His work blends classical painting techniques with contemporary themes, frequently depicting figures in contemplative or psychologically charged settings. Borowicz’s compositions are recognized for their strong sense of light, atmosphere, and storytelling. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries and art institutions and are appreciated for their depth and technical refinement.
Mary Buckman
Mary Buckman is an American sculptor known for her figurative work, often focused on the human form in bronze and other traditional media. Her sculptures emphasize movement, gesture, and emotional expression, capturing moments that feel both dynamic and intimate. Much of her work explores narrative themes through simplified yet powerful forms, highlighting the relationship between figure and space. Her work has been included in numerous competitions and exhibitions, including the National Sculpture Society’s Annual Award Exhibitions. She won the Elliot Gantz Foundry award at the 77th Annual Exhibit in Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina. She was also a finalist in the Art Renewal Center International Salon 2015 and 2016. When not sculpting, Buckman teaches figurative sculpture classes from her studio/gallery in North Park San Diego.
Elena Burykina
Elena Burykina is a Ukrainian artist based in Chattanooga, TN. As a child in Ukraine, she received a classical art education which she used for over a decade as an architect, eventually moving into teaching art to children and painting when she could. Burykina moved to America in 2013 and turned her full attention to painting, focusing on portraiture. She is known for realist and impressionistic figurative painting, particularly portraits that emphasize mood, light, and psychological presence.
Louis Carr
Louis Carr is an American artist whose work focuses on classical realism through the delicate rendition of the human figure and landscapes of the natural world. Since the materialization of his artistic gifts during his childhood, he has embarked on a lifelong journey to establish himself as a master of fine art. His amiability and innate aptitude for business make him an exceptional, versatile tutor, and his dexterous draftsmanship and perceptive interpretation of value and form instill a visible vitality in his paintings, preserving a high demand for his work. In 2017, in partnership with Joshua LaRock and Michael Klein, Carr founded East Oaks Studio in Raleigh, North Carolina, to propagate an influential environment, within which a new community of artists seeking to master excellence could thrive.
Ali Cavanaugh
Ali Cavanaugh is an American contemporary artist best known for her luminous watercolor portraits, often depicting children and young people. Her distinct approach to Modern Fresco Painting has garnered her significant acclaim.Cavanaugh’s work focuses on intimacy, innocence, and emotional presence, with subjects often shown in quiet, contemplative moments. Her paintings have been exhibited internationally and are widely recognized for their ethereal, modern approach to figurative art.
Kevin Chambers
Kevin Chambers is an American contemporary sculptor known for his figurative work that often emphasizes movement, anatomy, and expressive form. He works primarily in bronze and other traditional sculptural materials, creating pieces that explore human emotion and physical presence. His sculptures frequently balance realism with stylized gesture, giving them a sense of energy and narrative tension. Chambers’ mastery of anatomy and of the three-dimensional form inspired him to teach figurative sculpture classes. Together with his wife Lauren, Chambers established KLC Studios in 2015, offering classical fine art sculpture and painting instruction.
Chung-Wei Chien
Chung-Wei Chien is a contemporary Chinese painter known for his atmospheric figurative works and still lifes that often emphasize mood, light, and quiet observation. His paintings frequently blend realistic technique with a soft, impressionistic sensibility, creating scenes that feel contemplative and intimate. He is particularly noted for his restrained palettes and careful handling of shadow and form, which enhance the emotional subtlety of his compositions. Chien’s work has been exhibited in galleries and art shows, where it is appreciated for its calm, poetic quality.
Casey Childs
Casey Childs is an American realist painter known for his detailed figurative and still-life works that emphasize precision, light, and composition. His paintings often explore everyday objects and human figures with a classical approach, drawing attention to subtle textures and tonal harmony. Childs is recognized for his disciplined technique and ability to elevate ordinary subjects into carefully structured visual studies. His work has been exhibited in galleries and art competitions across the United States.
Robin Cole
Born in Denver Colorado, Robin Cole is an oil painter working in the tradition of realism. Though related to the familiar genres of landscape painting and portraiture, her work explores a slightly unusual, more nuanced and closely experienced relationship with nature that is at once otherworldly and scientific. Her work blends realism with loose, painterly brushwork to emphasize mood, light, and emotional presence. Cole frequently explores themes of identity and connection, using composition and color to create intimate narrative moments. She works and teaches at her home studio in Arvada, the Art Students League of Denver, annually at Scottsdale Artists’ School, and online.
Ellen Cooper
Ellen Cooper is an American contemporary figurative artist known for her expressive paintings that often explore human relationships and everyday moments. Her work blends realism with impressionistic brushwork, focusing on light, atmosphere, and emotional subtlety. Cooper frequently paints figures in natural or domestic settings, creating scenes that feel intimate and narrative-driven. Her canvases are represented in many private and institutional collections, and her work has garnered over twenty national and international awards including First Place and People's Choice awards at the Portrait Society of America's International Portrait Competition.
Joseph Daily
Joseph Daily is classically trained painter living and working in Vestal, New York. His paintings combine realistic structure with expressive brushwork, emphasizing mood, gesture, and storytelling. Daily frequently depicts figures in intimate or contemplative settings, using light and composition to heighten emotional impact. His work has been recognized in numerous competitions, including many placements in the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition.
Robin Damore
Robin Damore is a professional artist, focusing on painting, drawing, and photography. Starting out in the advertising business, Damore realized that there was a creative part of her soul that wanted to come out, so she took her budding drawing skills and applied them to oil portrait painting under the guidance of a Russian master painter, Leonid Gervits. Now, Damore’s studio in Vancouver, Washington, serves as a showcase for her work, is a working space for both painting and studio photography, is a classroom for private instruction and classes, and is also a framing workshop. Damore’s work has been recognized in numerous competitions over the years, including the Portrait Society of America’s Members Only Competition and The International.
John Darley
John Darley is a Utah-based American figurative painter known for his classical realist portraits and narrative scenes. He focuses on capturing the human figure with strong draftsmanship, expressive lighting, and emotional depth, often inspired by the people and landscapes of the American West. Darley trained at ateliers such as the Grand Central Atelier and Hein Atelier, where he developed a disciplined, traditional approach to painting. His work has earned awards from organizations like the Portrait Society of America and the Art Renewal Center, and he continues to exhibit both nationally and internationally.
Gabriela Gonzalez Dellosso
Gabriela Dellosso is a narrative realist painter known for her homage self-portraits dedicated to historical women artists. Her work has been featured in multiple solo museum exhibitions in the United States and abroad and is held in numerous public collections. Her practice centers on inventive storytelling and the re-engagement of women artists across history, forming the foundation of her long-standing Homage series.
Stephanie Deshpande
Stephanie Deshpande is an American contemporary realist painter known for her psychological portraits and narrative paintings that often blend realism with personal allegories. Her paintings combine meticulous classical technique with surreal or dreamlike elements, creating scenes that feel both intimate and mysterious. Deshpande frequently uses herself, family members, and staged settings as inspiration for her emotionally layered compositions. In addition to painting, she enjoys mentoring artists and teaching both in person at the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, New Jersey and online through her website.
Grace DeVito
Grace DeVito is an American contemporary artist. Her representational realist skills are equally adept at portraiture, figurative, and still life genres. The love of light and form imbues her work with beauty and timelessness, elevating even the humblest of subjects, bearing witness to the beauty of the world. DeVito focuses her interest on the natural world. It is her desire to explore nature and present it to a viewer causing moments of reflection. Her work has been recognized by many organizations, including placing first in painting in the Portrait Society of America’s 2026 International Portrait Competition.
Seth Haverkamp
Seth Haverkamp is a contemporary artist known for work that blends detailed craftsmanship with imaginative, often surreal visual storytelling. His pieces frequently explore themes of memory, identity, and the relationship between people and the natural world. Haverkamp works across multiple mediums, creating art that feels both technically refined and emotionally atmospheric. His style has drawn attention for its balance of realism, symbolism, and distinctive personal vision. In 2019, Haverkamp won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Liz Harris
Liz Harris is an American contemporary figurative painter. She first encountered the exceptional power of art to enlighten, challenge, and touch the soul during visits in her youth to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and The Art Institute of Chicago. At Brigham Young University (BYU) she took various art classes while earning a Bachelor's degree in Educational Psychology. Harris’ art is about creating a glimpse of the beauty and joy to be found in life, no matter the situation. She believes that happiness and triumph, sadness and pain all have a unique role in the eloquence that is each person's life.
Johanna Harmon
Johanna Harmon is an American artist. She began designing and recording visual observations at the age of seven, but it wasn’t until almost two decades later that she was introduced to the traditional language of art at the Scottsdale Artists’ School in Arizona, the Fechin Art Institute in Taos, New Mexico, and the Art Students League of Denver in Colorado. There, she studied painting alongside prominent portrait and figure artists with varied artistic philosophies and approaches. Harmon’s work has been presented in numerous solo, group and juried exhibitions including the Portrait Society of America (PSoA), Oil Painters of America (OPA), Art Renewal Center, California Art Club, and Scottsdale Artists’ School, where she received numerous prestigious awards.
Ben Hammond
Ben Hammond is an American sculptor known for his realistic bronze figurative work, particularly portraiture and historical subjects. His sculptures often depict notable figures, including leaders, athletes, and cultural icons, rendered with strong anatomical accuracy and attention to character. Hammond trained in classical sculpture techniques and emphasizes traditional modeling methods in his studio practice. His work has been commissioned for public monuments and private collections, and he is recognized for combining technical precision with expressive presence.
Barbara Hack
Barbara Hack is an American contemporary figurative painter known for her expressive portraits and narrative scenes. Her work is an ongoing reflection on people and their emotions. Working predominantly in painting mediums, Hack relishes the challenge of realistic portraiture, and her subject matter reflects her love for figurative work. But she pushes beyond realism, as well, in her desire to capture resonant moments in time. Her work pursues figures from the past with their moods and their contexts. Ephemeral figures are momentary presences that are nonetheless powerful enough to make lasting, even shaping, impressions. Hack attempts to understand these figures and their ephemerality and to share that understanding with others.
Jaq Grantford
Jaq Grantford is an award-winning Australian portrait artist, recognized with the Darling Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery of Australia and the People’s Choice Award in the Archibald Prize. Her work is held in public and private collections, including the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery of Victoria, and international collections. Known for portraits that capture character as much as likeness, Jaq works across expressive and traditional approaches, creating works for exhibitions, institutions, corporate collections, and private commissions.
Kristy Gordon
Kristy Gordon is a Canadian contemporary figurative painter based in New York City and known for her narrative oil paintings that often blend realism with surreal and symbolic elements. Her work explores themes such as identity, mythology, and personal transformation, frequently placing figures in dreamlike or emotionally charged settings. Gordon combines classical painting techniques with imaginative storytelling, creating visually rich and psychologically layered compositions. Gordon’s work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Uris Center in New York City; the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona and the National Academy Museum in New York City.
Thomas Caleb Goggans
Thomas Caleb Goggans is an American artist. His portraits, sculptures, and landscapes uniquely capture existential landmarks; moments and glimpses that shape and connect us to one another and the endless wonder of the world. His work explores the rich contrasts of life, portraying humanity, the natural world, and our interactions between them in a way that reveals truth in personality, intrinsic worth, and timeless meaning. Finding inspiration and imagination in nature, life’s passages, and the people he encounters, Goggans seeks to explore those opportunities and express the richness, significance, and complex beauty of human experience. In addition to consistently earning placement in international competitions, he has been featured in premier art publications and has served as both a Juror and instructor for esteemed art conferences and museums such as the Portrait Society of America, The Booth Museum, the Indiana State Museum, and The Hunter Museum of American Art.
David Goatley
David Goatley is a British contemporary figurative painter known for his expressive, narrative-driven works that often explore human presence and emotional states. Discovering Rembrandt at the age of 15 made him determined to be a portrait painter. He studied at Camberwell School of Art at the height of abstract expressionism before beginning a 16-year career in advertising. He began as an illustrator, became a designer, then a copywriter and ended as a partner in a small London agency. He then returned to portraiture and painted with his mentor, noted UK portraitist, John Jonas. Goatley’s work has often been used to build bridges of understanding between communities, to cement alliances and create bonds of friendship.
Tina Garrett
Tina Garrett is an American contemporary portrait artist, Art Renewal Center Living Master, and National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Master Artist. Commissioned to paint the official portrait of Missouri First Lady Claudia Kehoe, Garrett’s work was featured in Sotheby’s twice, including in the Bouguereau and His Circle: Then and Now auction alongside works by the renowned French master William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Since beginning painting in 2012, Garrett’s works have earned more than 100 national and international awards.
Romulo Galicano
Romulo Galicano is a renowned Filipino figurative painter and 2005 Draper Grand Prize winner known for his classical realist style and richly detailed compositions. He started painting landscape, studying direct observations of colors from nature, and following Leonardo da Vinci’s advice that nature is the best teacher. When he migrated to Manila, Galicano became adept in portraiture, as a means of gaining more advanced knowledge of the human figure, especially the physiological state of the figure. Galicano’s work is technically academic in rendering but his philosophical approach is abstract. His first concern is the integrity of the whole; the style and subject is only secondary. The vertical lines in Galicano’s paintings are a reconciliation between opposite poles and the merging of the subjective and the objective.
Katherin Galbraith
Katherine Galbraith is an American artist who has received numerous awards and recognition throughout her career, including from the Portrait Society of America, Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists, and the National Oil & Acrylic Painters Society. Galbraith has exhibited throughout the United States, in galleries from New York to California. She received her first portrait commission at age 12 and has been painting portraits ever since. She pursued art and portraiture through high school and college. After college Galbraith decided to pursue art as a profession and attended the National Academy School of Design on a full merit scholarship. Her work blends classical realism with a loose, gestural approach, emphasizing movement, light, and atmosphere.
Ruth Fitton
Ruth Fitton is a fine artist and portrait painter based in London, UK. She has been fascinated by portraiture since her mid-teens. Her imagination is sparked by the human face, and its unique capacity for character and communication. Fitton taught herself to paint in oils while also studying for a BA in Music, and on graduating began painting full-time. Her work typically combines realistic observation with loose, painterly brushwork, emphasizing mood, light, and emotional tone over strict detail. Fitton has exhibited at Sotheby’s NYC, Arcadia Contemporary NYC, MEAM Barcelona, and the Mall Galleries London.
Kerry Dunn
Kerry Dunn is an American painter firmly established in the craft of old master pursuits. He is known for his figurative work that often explores narrative, psychology, and human presence. Dunn’s main focus is on painting people and using line, form and color to communicate character, storytelling and spirit. He graduated from Ringling School of Art and Design with a major in illustration in 1999. Dunn later studied with world renowned portrait painter Nelson Shanks (2002 - 2008) and has taught at Studio Incamminati since its inception in 2002. Additionally he served as Artistic Director of the school during the academic year of 2024 - 2025.
Qiyu Dong
Qiyu Dong is a contemporary Chinese oil painter. He graduated from the Department of Stage Art of Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1983, taught in the Department of Oil Painting of Shanghai University Art College from 1986 to 2012, and has been teaching in the Department of Stage Art of Shanghai Theatre Academy since 2012 as a professor. He is a member of China Artists Association and a director of Shanghai Artists Association.
Kexin Di
Kexin Di is a contemporary Chinese figurative artist known for his delicate and atmospheric paintings. Her work blends hyper-realistic rendering with kitsch aesthetics, bringing a sculptural, tactile quality to his canvases. Di works as a full-time professional artist at Wuhan Academy of Painting. During the time of his BFA and MFA in China Academy of Art, he had achieved many awards of national exhibitions by China Artists Association.
Dana Hawk
Dana Hawk is an American contemporary artist recognized for expressive works that combine strong visual storytelling with emotional depth. Her art often reflects themes of nature, personal experience, and human connection, using layered textures and thoughtful composition to create a distinctive style. Hawk’s creative approach blends technical skill with an intuitive, organic aesthetic that resonates with a wide audience. Through her work, she invites viewers to reflect on emotion, identity, and the beauty found in everyday moments.
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Lihuai He
Lihuai He is a Chinese contemporary artist known for blending traditional Chinese artistic influences with modern visual expression. His work often explores themes of culture, history, and the relationship between humanity and nature, using refined composition and atmospheric detail. He worked as an art designer at Capital Museum from 1985 to 1996 after receiving a Bachelor of Art degree in oil painting at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 1984. As a member of Beijing Artists Association and a professional artist, He has been honored as a very talented oil painter in contemporary China.
Jeff Hein
Jeff Hein is an American figurative painter and founder of the Hein Atelier of Traditional Art. He has been written up in numerous magazines and newspapers and his work has been shown in prestigious locations such as the Utah Museum of Fine Art, The SMOA and the Salmagundi Club in NY. In 2022 Jeff started the "Undraped Artist Podcast" through which he explores the works and processes of artists he admires in an effort to remain in constant personal and professional growth. Hein is known for his portraits, multi-figure narrative and scriptural paintings.
He sees each painting as a personal record of his experience with his subject, whether that be a person, animal, landscape or just his imagination. To him a painting or sculpture should be more than just a beautiful object. It should be the product of the artist’s experience.
Garth Herrick
Garth Herrick is a contemporary artist known for creating expressive works that blend realism with imaginative and symbolic elements. His art often reflects an interest in atmosphere, emotion, and storytelling, using composition and texture to draw viewers into layered visual experiences. Herrick’s style combines technical control with a personal, interpretive approach that gives his work a distinctive character. Through his paintings, he explores themes of perception, memory, and the connection between people and place.
David Hettinger
David Hettinger is an American artist known for his rich color, dynamic light, and careful attention to atmosphere. He began his career when he hopped on a plane from Aurora, IL and landed in New York City on the advice of Joseph Welna, owner of Welna Gallery in Chicago. Hettinger had a fierce desire to "learn what it was to be a real artist." With steadfast focus and determination, He made a name for himself as a fine artist and never looked back. Today his paintings are in private collections around the globe. Hettinger focuses on figurative work drawn from life in his Aurora studio. These works represent a lifetime of observing everyday relationships between people. The fleeting human treasure of those subtle moments between people is apparent in Hettinger's work.
Evert Ploeg
Evert Ploeg is an internationally acclaimed Australian artist known for creating paintings that blend refined realism with expressive atmosphere and light. Raised in Sydney with an Australian/Dutch heritage, Evert credits an early introduction to the Dutch master Frans Hals and his bold brushwork, with shaping his realist painting direction. He has an impressive seven major portraits in the Australian National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, and his work is held in distinguished private and corporate collections such as the University of Melbourne, The Australian War Memorial and The Australian Broadcasting Corp. In addition to his commissioned work, Evert has for the past decade been involved with Australian arts and social change company, BighART. Evert’s early work often used ‘texture’ as a narrative to exemplify personality. Today we see a more painterly approach and use of expressive mark making, with a direct and sculptural application of paint to surface. An advocate for solid draftsmanship, classic painting techniques and working from life, he has conducted numerous teaching and workshop demonstrations.
Olga Krimon
Olga Krimon was born in Odessa, Ukraine, and received her academic art education in Kazan, Russia. She continued her development in America through drawing classes with Glen Orbik and painting classes with Jeremy Lipking, and holds a BA in Art History from Davidson College, NC, and an MBA from the University of Southern California. Her work is grounded in traditional realism but moves beyond it. Figures, florals, and ceramic forms are not static subjects — they are atmospheres of presence and quiet. Compositions are carefully orchestrated: edges manipulated, forms lost and found, passages of precise drawing emerging through broken color and shifting texture. In recent years she has extended this language into ceramics — balancing tactility, restraint, and material sensitivity across mediums, with a consistent interest in the poetry of surface.
Lisa Kovvuri
Lisa Kovvuri is a New Hampshire–based artist known for creating vibrant works inspired by nature, light, and the changing New England landscape. Her work uses the genre of portraiture to explore the psychology and emotions we live and move through every day, with a goal of creating a compelling, personal, and intimate experience, both visually and emotionally, with the human presence in her paintings. Born in Oakland, CA and raised on Cape Cod, MA, she received a BFA in printmaking from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1991. When her interest later turned to oil painting, she sought additional training from highly skilled master artists in the fields of realism, figurative and portrait painting. Kovvuri’s commissioned works can be found in the collections of numerous clients, private and corporate, across New England and the Western US coast.
Linda Kollacks
Linda Kollacks is an Illinois artist known for her expressive paintings that celebrate nature, color, and the beauty of everyday life. Her work often features floral subjects, landscapes, and still lifes rendered with a lively sense of movement and warmth. Kollacks’ intuitive use of color and texture help her create pieces that feel both inviting and energetic. Through her art, she captures moments of joy, reflection, and connection to the natural world.
Sam Knecht
Sam Knecht is a Michigan-based artist known for paintings that capture the character and atmosphere of the Midwest landscape. His work often focuses on rural scenes, waterways, and natural environments, using rich color and expressive brushwork to create a strong sense of place. Knecht combines observational realism with a painterly style that emphasizes mood, light, and seasonal change. Through his art, he reflects a deep appreciation for Michigan’s landscapes and the quiet beauty of everyday surroundings. am Knecht is a painter dedicated to representational tradition. Inspired by the finest American artists of the past he pursues both portraiture and landscape painting. Whether working in oil, egg tempera or watercolor his goal is to record the magic and mystery of natural light. Knecht’s portraits have earned awards in competitions hosted by the Portrait Society of America, the American Society of Portrait Artists, the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Michigan Watercolor Society.
Pramod Kurlekar
Pramod Kurlekar is an Indian contemporary artist known for his expressive figurative paintings and strong command of color and composition. His work often reflects themes drawn from Indian culture, daily life, and human emotion, blending realism with a modern artistic sensibility. Kurlekar’s paintings are recognized for their dynamic brushwork, rich textures, and ability to capture both movement and atmosphere. Through his art, he creates visually compelling narratives that celebrate tradition while engaging with contemporary perspectives.
Vasudeo Kamath
Vasudeo Kamath is an acclaimed Indian artist and illustrator celebrated for his mastery of realistic painting and visual storytelling. Trained at the Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, he became widely known for his work in illustration, portraiture, and mythological themes inspired by Indian culture and tradition. Kamath’s paintings are admired for their detailed craftsmanship, expressive characters, and rich use of color and light. In addition to his artistic career, he has played an influential role as an educator, inspiring generations of artists in India. In 2006, Kamath won the Portrait Society of America’s Draper Grand Prize.
Fengshi Jin
Fengshi Jin is a contemporary artist whose work reflects a blend of traditional Chinese artistic influence and modern creative expression. Known for refined technique and atmospheric compositions, Jin often explores themes of nature, culture, and human experience through a poetic visual language. Born in 1959 in Jilin Province, Jin graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Yanbian University in 1987. In 1999 he graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts of the Tenth Seminar, and proceeded to earn his master's degree in painting in Hongik University Department of Fine Arts. Jin worked as a professor of art in the Institute of Renmin University of China.
Jacqueline Jasper
Jacqueline Jasper is a contemporary artist known for creating visually engaging works that combine expressive color, texture, and thoughtful composition. Her art often reflects themes of emotion, nature, and personal interpretation, resulting in pieces that feel both intimate and atmospheric. Jasper’s style balances technical precision with a fluid, creative energy that gives her work a distinctive presence. Through her artistic practice, she encourages viewers to connect with mood, memory, and the subtle beauty of everyday life.
Natalie Italiano
Natalie Italiano is a contemporary artist known for creating expressive works that blend refined technique with emotional storytelling. Her art often explores themes of identity, connection, and the beauty found in everyday experiences, using thoughtful composition and rich visual detail. Italiano’s style balances modern sensibilities with a timeless artistic approach, giving her work both warmth and sophistication. Through her creative practice, she invites viewers to engage with emotion, memory, and personal reflection. Italiano is Studio Incamminati graduate and now instructor.
Primary Hughes
Primary Hughes is a Michigan-based artist whose work is recognized for its bold creative energy and contemporary visual style. He is best known for his colorful acrylic portraits, having shown in numerous pop and illustration focused gallery exhibitions in California and New York. As an artist residing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and professor of illustration at Northern Michigan University, Hughes can often be found plein air painting along the coast of Lake Superior. His painting and illustration work revels in the interplay of light and color, and the emotional impact in quieter moments of determination, thoughtful reflection, and preparation for a thing that must be done.
Chin-Hsien Lin
Chin-Hsien Lin is a Taiwanese artist known for paintings that combine technical realism with a poetic sense of atmosphere and light. He holds a Doctorate in Fine Arts from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University and is currently a full-time professor in the Department of Fine Arts at National Taichung University of Education. Lin is known for “allegorical classical realism” in his art. He combines the color theory of impressionism with the spiritual direction of classicism, making the landscapes of his homeland the central theme of his work.
Ying-He Liu
Ying-He Liu received her B.A. in Fine Arts from Stony Brook University, SUNY in 1983 where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She pursued postgraduate study under the tutelage of James McMullen in illustration at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Prior to her arrival in the US, she was an English major in Anhui Norm University and had the rare privilege of studying privately with two prominent Chinese masters, Ha Ding and Yan Wen Liang, for many years in Shanghai, China. She has attended workshops by preeminent American masters Everett Raymond Kinstler and Daniel Greene in the U.S. Since 1990, Liu has devoted most of her career to portraiture, traveling extensively in Europe studying Old Masters’ works in museums and galleries. Her exceptional talent and versatility have been greatly sought after in the U.S. and abroad.
Shuang Liu
Shuang Liu is a Chinese contemporary artist known for creating works that merge technical precision with expressive visual storytelling. Liu’s paintings often center on themes of identity, culture, and emotional connection, using layered textures and thoughtful composition to create atmospheric depth, and inviting the viewer to reflect on memory and emotion.
Jun Liu
Jun Liu is a Chinese contemporary painter recognized for work that combines refined technique with expressive modern sensibilities. His art often explores themes of nature, human experience, and cultural identity, using balanced composition and nuanced color to create atmospheric imagery. Liu’s paintings reflect an appreciation for both traditional Chinese aesthetics and contemporary artistic experimentation. Through his creative practice, he produces works that feel contemplative, visually elegant, and emotionally resonant.
Jie Liu
Jie Liu is a Chinese contemporary sculptor known for creating works that blend traditional artistic influences with modern visual expression. Liu’s style combines technical precision with emotional subtlety, resulting in pieces that feel both reflective and dynamic. Through his art, he contributes to the dialogue between classical Chinese aesthetics and contemporary global art.
Shana Levenson
Shana Levenson is a contemporary artist based in Alburquerque, NM and known for creating vibrant works that blend expressive color, texture, and emotional storytelling. She is known for her hyperrealist style, where she emphasizes delicate and feminine details in her subjects, like body shape, lace, and jewelry. Her artistic journey began with a BA in Fashion Design from The University of Texas. After the birth of her children in 2009 and 2010, she pursued and completed an MFA in Fine Art Painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Her work primarily focuses on portraiture and the figure, often capturing people who are significant in her life. Levenson aims to tell each person’s story in an authentic and meaningful way, drawing inspiration from her own experiences. Beyond her painting career, Levenson is deeply involved in education, teaching workshops and mentoring students.
Howard Lyon
Howard Lyon is an American figurative artist and illustrator known for his highly detailed paintings inspired by classical realism and imaginative storytelling. His work spans fine art and fantasy illustration, often featuring dramatic lighting, rich textures, and carefully crafted compositions. Lyon has contributed artwork to major publishing and entertainment projects while also exhibiting gallery paintings that reflect strong academic training and technical mastery. Through his art, he combines traditional painting techniques with narrative depth and a contemporary creative vision.
Kevin Macpherson
Kevin Macpherson is an American painter celebrated for his plein air landscapes and expressive use of color and light. Known for working directly from nature, he creates paintings that capture the atmosphere and changing moods of outdoor environments with bold, confident brushwork. Macpherson is also a respected instructor and author who has influenced many contemporary landscape painters through his workshops and teaching. His work reflects a deep appreciation for observation, simplicity, and the beauty of the natural world.
Sherrie McGraw
Sherrie McGraw is a figurative painter who studied and taught at the Art Students League of New York and has become one of America’s foremost artists and teachers. Sensitivity to the abstract beauty of painting has always been McGraw’s interest. Trained in the academic tradition, her work emphasizes strong drawing, expressive brushwork, and a deep understanding of light and form. McGraw has received numerous awards and has shown in major art institutions and museums, including the Butler Institute of American Art, where she had a solo show in 2014. She lectures and demonstrates for art institutions such as the Portrait Society of America, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Brigham Young University, the Art Students League of New York, the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia.
Iliya Mirochnik
Originally from Odessa, Ukraine, Iliya immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s with his family. From a young age, he pursued training in the arts in the Russian academic tradition. He studied at LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Art and at the Bridgeview School of Fine Arts in New York under the tutelage of professors trained in the art academies of the former Soviet Union. Mirochnik also studied in St. Petersburg, Russia in the prestigious I.E. Repin State Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture from which he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting. In his paintings Mirochnik aims to connect the Russian aesthetic with American sensibilities, creating images that go beyond their origins. He has been recipient of a number of prestigious scholarships and awards both in the United States and in Russia.
Kathy Morris
Kathy Morris is a contemporary artist known for creating vibrant works that celebrate color, atmosphere, and the beauty of everyday subjects. Losing most of her hearing at a young age, she learned to cope and communicate by reading lips, facial expressions and body language. Being a consummate people watcher was the genesis of Morris’ fascination with the human face and form and her obsession to "capture" it. Consequently, her work is centered upon portraiture and portraying the human figure. Morris studied classical technique through workshops with many artists including David Kassan, Sean Cheetham, Julio Reyes, and Candice Bohannon. Her paintings have been the subject of international and national group exhibitions, garnering awards on the international and national level.
Gregory Mortenson
Gregory Mortenson is a classically trained artist known for his arresting and emotive portraits of Haitian children. Shortly after completing his academic training, Mortenson and his wife were called on a humanitarian effort to Port au Prince to help reshape an orphanage that had been destroyed during the 2010 earthquake. Among the rubble of despair Mortenson came face to face with the paradox of tragedy. He set about making sketches of the children as they waited in hope for a new home and school. In 2013 he returned to Haiti to teach art at an orphanage. Mortenson now teaches portrait drawing and painting at Grand Central Academy, NY and offers a summer course at the Center for Academic Study and Naturalistic Painting in Springville, UT.
Ricky Mujica
Ricky Mujica is a New York–based contemporary artist known for expressive works that blend bold color, dynamic composition, and personal storytelling. His art often reflects influences from urban culture, music, and everyday life, creating pieces that feel energetic and emotionally direct. Mujica’s style combines modern visual language with strong painterly technique, resulting in work that is both vibrant and approachable. His work appears in collections all around the world.
Mujica has created art for Harper Collins, Harlequin, Bantam, and Scholastic and for major magazines including the New York Times Magazine and Ebony. His work has been seen in commercials for such products as Cherry 7-Up, on murals for Sony and Leows theaters, and on clothes for fashion designer Rachel Roy and his very talented wife, Heather Harlan.
He has been designated as a Living Master by the Art Renewal Center, has a Masters Degree from The Florence Academy, and is a Signature Status member at the Portrait Society of America.
He currently teaches at the Art Students League of New York, and The Florence Academy of Art (MA Program).
Mary Muller
Mary Muller is an Iowa-based artist known for creating works inspired by the landscapes, seasons, and quiet beauty of the Midwest. Her paintings often feature natural scenery and rural subjects, using thoughtful composition and expressive color to capture atmosphere and mood. Muller’s style blends careful observation with a warm, painterly approach that gives her work a sense of familiarity and calm. Through her art, she reflects a deep appreciation for nature, place, and everyday moments.
Annie Murphy-Robinson
Annie Murphy-Robinson is an American artist with a BFA from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and an MA from Sacramento State University. Her figurative work often depicts her two daughters and is focused on the space of youth where “magic” unfolds. Also prevalent is the relationship with animals and the magic that happens in that connection. Murphy-Robinson uses a technique to draw that involves sanding charcoal into paper. By using sandpaper to grind in and remove small amounts of material, she is able to create finer details. Murphy-Robinson’s main focus is to convey truth and honesty, filtered through a lens of her own experience. Her secondary concern is with beauty; aching, haunting and desirable. Everything matters, the wrinkles of the dress, the stains, the fur of the animals and the gaze. More often than not, her subjects meet the eyes of the viewer- inviting them to look and to connect with their own experience and vulnerability.
Richard Christian Nelson
Richard Christian Nelson is a portrait and gallery artist residing in the mountains of North Carolina. He also loves painting landscapes, still life, and figurative gallery pieces, usually from life. He is endlessly fascinated by people, places, and things and considers it a privilege and a challenge to capture some aspect of their essence on canvas. Nelson works toward “painterly realism”; good drawing and composition, rendered with strong natural color, in such a way that you can still sense or feel the paint. The effect of this process is that the subject begins to artfully reveal itself to the artist, and hopefully, the viewer. In over 20 years as a professional artist Nelson has completed over 500 oil portraits, 1000 charcoal portraits, and has won a number of awards.
Paul Newton
Australian artist, Paul Newton studied fine art at the Julian Ashton Art School. He has works in the permanent collections of Princeton, Columbia and Johns-Hopkins Universities, the NBA New York, the Cleveland Clinic, the National Portrait Gallery and Parliament House in Canberra. His portrait sitters include US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Pope Benedict XVI and former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. Newton has been a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize on 17 occasions, with portraits of such notables as Hugh Jackman. He twice won the Packing Room Prize and The People's Choice Award and recently his work toured Australia in the Archie 100 retrospective exhibition. He was commissioned to paint 32 works for the Domus Australia chapel in Rome, which was opened by Pope Benedict. He has been awarded placements in the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait competition, before winning the Draper Grand Prize in 2023.
Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings
Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings is a classically trained portrait and imaginative artist from Niagara, living and working in Toronto, Canada. Known for creating expressive works that combine thoughtful storytelling with a strong visual sense of atmosphere, her extensive formal artistic training in the classical atelier method includes more than eight years combined studying at the ARA in Toronto and the GCA in New York City. She also earned a four-year Fine Arts Degree from The University of Western Ontario. In addition to this, she earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts Education and an Honours Specialist in Art Education. Nicholas-Jennings has won many International Art Awards. Her personal work took a drastic turn after suffering a devastating set of personal losses, as she inspects 'the self' in her “Alex in Wonderland” series after that first plunge down the rabbit hole. This body of work is deeply personal, whimsical and spiritual all at once, while facilitating a chromatic palette, vintage icons and antiquities. Her Alice paintings explore more lively and impressionistic brushwork than in her classical work, lending itself to the fantastical nature of Wonderland.
Olga Neilsen
Olga Neilsen was born in Russia and attended the Moscow School of Fine Arts where she studied art history and figure painting and drawing in the classical realistic tradition. She also studied at the Department of Applied Arts and Design at Moscow Textile Institute and graduated with a BFA in painting, textile design and fashion illustration and design in 1977. Before immigrating to the United States, Neilsen spent the summer of 1981 in Italy, studying art at the greatest museums. After moving to Philadelphia, she worked for many years in design departments of textile and fashion industry companies, continuing to paint and draw and exhibit at local art centers and galleries. In 1998, Nielson started working full-time as a professional figurative artist. At that time her interest in sculpture grew stronger and she started working in terra cotta. Returning to school in 2005, she studied stone sculpture and figure modeling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Most of her bronze and stone sculptures, paintings, and drawings focus on the female figure.
Presently Neilsen lives and works in Wilmington, Delaware, teaching portrait and figure drawing and sculpting at the local art centers and at the Delaware College of Art and Design.
Ted Nuttall
Ted Nuttall is an acclaimed American watercolor artist known for his expressive figurative paintings and emotionally charged portraits. A graduate of Colorado Institute of Art, his painting expression was born out of his observation of people. Nuttall’s work combines strong drawing skills with layered watercolor techniques, creating richly textured images that balance realism with abstraction. He is widely respected in the watercolor community for pushing the boundaries of the medium while maintaining exceptional technical mastery. Nuttall’s paintings continue to win awards in juried exhibitions throughout the country, and his work has been featured in numerous national and international art publications.
Carol Peebles
Carol Peebles is a New Orleans–based artist known for paintings that reflect the vibrant culture, atmosphere, and architectural beauty of the city. Her work focuses on portraits and figures, drawn from life, to celebrate the people in her immediate environment. Peebles combines observational realism with a warm, painterly style that celebrates the character and spirit of New Orleans. Through her art, she invites viewers to experience the rhythm, charm, and visual richness of the region. Founder and Director of BlueEaselClub.com, Peebles works to continue the tradition of classical realist life drawing through her Atelier classes and commissions.
Liu Yu
Liu Yu is a Chinese contemporary artist known for work that combines traditional artistic influences with a modern visual perspective. Yu's paintings often explore themes of culture, memory, and the relationship between humanity and nature, using layered composition and expressive detail to create atmospheric imagery. Yu's style balances technical refinement with emotional depth, creating a contemplative and elegant quality.
Alicia N. Ponzio
Alicia N. Ponzio is a contemporary sculptor and artist known for creating expressive works that combine organic form with emotional storytelling. She began her career as a Lieutenant in the United States' Navy Nurse Corps. After experimenting with various mediums in figurative art, she found her voice in sculpture and made the decision to pursue it. Ponzio completed her artistic training at the Florence Academy of Art (FAA) in Florence, Italy, where she completed the Sculpture Program in 2008. She was then the director of the Artistic Anatomy and Écorché Sculpture programs, as well as a figure drawing instructor at the FAA until 2011, when she returned to the United States and set up her studio in downtown San Francisco. Ponzio brings life to her bronzes and plasters, focusing on the abstract movement of forms as embodied in the human figure, as well as the subtle shades of human emotion. She favors asymmetry, irregularity, and variety in design: qualities that suggest a human touch. Her figure compositions and portraits have received recognition and honors from several organizations. Her work ranges from miniature portraits to larger scale single figure and multi-figure compositions.
Aapo Pukk
Aapo Pukk is an Estonian artist known for his contemporary realist paintings and expressive approach to portraiture and figurative art. His mother, Laine Pukk, taught art at the Children’s Art School for thirty years, and Pukk had his first art lessons at home. Actually, one could say that he was born in an art school. According to his mother, Pukk used to sit on the floor on top of a big sheet of paper and draw all the time, even before I learned how to speak. Today he teaches at the Estonian Academy of Arts and organizes courses of classic figurative art at the Aapo Pukk Art School.
Kishor Purekar
Kishor Purekar is an Indian sculptor whose work bridges heritage, innovation, and artistic mastery. A graduate of the prestigious Sir J.J. School of Art, Mumbai (First Class with Distinction), he has dedicated his life to shaping form into presence — creating sculptures that carry both strength and sensitivity. Purekar has worked across mediums — clay, bronze, fibre, cement, and mixed media, but he is best known for his monumental public sculptures and his rare gift for live clay modeling, where he transforms clay into lifelike presence before an audience in just a few hours. His portfolio includes busts, portraits, equestrian statues, murals, installations, and large-scale projects ranging from 12 to 21 feet. Today, Purekar stands as an artist who not only sculpts forms but also preserves cultural memory, celebrates heritage, and pushes the boundaries of what sculpture can be.
Ted Reed
Ted Reed is a Virginia–based artist known for paintings that combine expressive realism with a strong sense of atmosphere and place. He paints portrait, figure, wildlife, still-life, and both plein-air and studio landscape paintings. Oil paints are his native medium of expression, but he also works in pastels and excels with most drawing media. Reed has taught thousands of students at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia, has juried numerous art exhibitions, and has won national and international awards for both his artwork and his contributions to art instruction.
Mardie Rees
Mardie Rees is an American fine artist and figurative sculptor who is native to the Pacific Northwest. She earned her BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design in 2003. Rees creates life-size bronze sculptures for museums, hospitals, schools, and collectors. She has won many accolades for her emotive sculpture, and her most recognized works include Soul of the Forward and Faithful, a WWII U.S. Marine Raider Memorial currently housed at the National Museum of the Marine Corps; as well as Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, a monumental size work including a cape of fifty roses. She is represented by Nedra Matteucci Galleries in Santa Fe, and TH Brennen Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. Rees was born into a creative household, and her childhood was spent sewing garments and building homes, drawing pictures and visiting museums. In her adolescence, Rees’ family uprooted and moved to Ecuador to facilitate community development. The years spent in Latin American culture sparked her artistic expression and became a quest, a way for her to balance the familiar and the foreign. This broadened worldview set her on the path to be an artist for life. Her delight in all people and their stories is the lens through which she captures relationships and the fundamental duality of human life: bitter and sweet.
Sally Ryan
Sally Ryan is an Australian painter and portrait artist living and operating in Sydney. Her artwork is best described as contemporary realism and includes all genres of painting but with an emphasis on portraiture, interiors and still life. Drawing and painting from life is extremely important to Ryan and is considered an essential part of her art practice. She began formal training as a classical painter at the Julian Ashton Art School where she was awarded a Scholarship in 2010. She has continued to refine her skills through workshops at Studio Escalier (Paris), Grand Central Academy (NY) and Menorca Pulsar, Spain. Ryan works mainly in oils, but also graphite and charcoal. Her artworks hang in both private and public collections and have been recognized in numerous competitions across Australia such as the Archibald, Doug Moran, Portia Geach and Lester Prizes. Internationally she has also been a finalist multiple times in the ARC Salon and Portrait Society of America competitions.
Tim Rees
Timothy Rees is an American portrait artist. He began his art journey by moving to Chicago in 2009 to paint in the open studios of the Palette and Chisel Academy. After one year he joined the staff of instructors, and soon began teaching workshops locally and abroad. In 2012 he moved to Scottsdale, where he later created and taught a classical art program for the Scottsdale Artist School. In 2017 he opened an atelier, where between 10 and 15 apprentices studied under him at any given time. In 2020 he moved to Iowa, where he painted in his downtown studio. Throughout his decade of painting he has appeared in numerous publications such as Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist, Southwest Art, and American Art Collector. Rees paints a range of subjects and in various techniques, but is best known for his loose alla prima portraits, striking life-size figure paintings, and naturalistic outdoor figure paintings of women and children.
Patrick Saunders
Patrick Saunders is an award-winning artist who travels the globe creating fine art, teaching painting workshops, and judging painting competitions. He paints a variety of subjects including portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, and florals. His works are featured in a number of notable permanent collections, including the Booth Museum of Western Art, the Bosque Art Center, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and Mark Arts in Wichita, KS. After graduating from the Kansas City Art Institute, Saunders spent a decade as an artist at Hallmark Cards before returning to KCAI to teach illustration, painting, animation, and web design. Teaching led to a job in advertising, where, as a Group Creative Director, he led teams of marketing professionals in New York, San Francisco, and globally, producing advertising for clients such as Whole Foods, Hill’s Pet Food, FedEx, and Kellogg’s. Throughout his career, Saunders has been recognized for outstanding work, earning awards from the American Advertising Federation, the International Academy of the Visual Arts, the Web Marketing Association, the Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, and Oil Painters of America.
Oliver Sin
Oliver Sin is a contemporary artist, author, and educator specializing in portraiture and figurative drawing. A graduate of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with a BFA in Illustration, he began his professional career as a concept artist at LucasArts in 1996 before returning to his alma mater in 2001 as an art professor in the Schools of Fine Art and 2D Animation. Known for combining academic realism with expressive contemporary drawing, Sin has taught artists worldwide through workshops, online courses, books, and instructional videos. He is the author of Drawing the Head for Artists and Facial Expressions for Artists, both published by Rockport Publishers, and has produced three instructional videos for PaintTube. His work has received international recognition, including First Place in Drawing at the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition in 2000.
Nathaniel Skousen
Nathaniel Skousen is a Utah-based artist known for his classical realist paintings and finely crafted figurative work. His primary focus lies in the creation of oil paintings encompassing portraits, figurative works, landscapes, and still life artworks. However, his true artistic passion is rooted in the study and application of classical skin tones, meticulously derived from extensive research conducted within renowned museums across the globe. His dedication to understanding the techniques and colors employed by master artists such as Rembrandt, Bouguereau, Titian, and numerous others has earned him numerous accolades from prestigious organizations dedicated to realism, including the Art Renewal Center, Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America and the MEAM (Museo Europeo de Arte Moderno). Skousen’s insatiable thirst for knowledge and thinking outside of the box, has led him to embark on a continuous journey, traveling the world to visit museums and immerse himself in the study of how the masters crafted their masterpieces.
His innovative approach to creating artist tools and aids aimed at simplifying the process of color perception and color mixing has proven invaluable to artists seeking to refine their craft.
Peter Smeeth
Born 1949 in Griffith, NSW, Australia and following schooling at Yanco Agricultural High School, Peter Smeeth studied Medicine at the University of Sydney from 1966 to 1971. After working at Royal North Shore Hospital and Canberra Hospital, he spent 34 years as a family doctor in General Practice at The Entrance on the Central Coast of NSW. Smeeth changed to full-time art practice in 2008 and works as a professional portrait artist in Sydney and the Central Coast. He has drawn and painted since early childhood and always regarded his art practice as a search for excellence that continues to this day. He has a special interest in the human condition which is manifest in his portraits and figurative works, but he enjoys all forms of art from the totally abstract to the super real. He works in most media including pencil, pastel, charcoal, watercolor, oil, and acrylic and does sculptural work in plaster or bronze. Smeeth strives to make his portraits life-like and alive so that the viewer feels the subject is actually present.
Sharon Sprung
Sharon Sprung is an American painter renowned for her masterful realist portraiture and classical painting technique. Her work is celebrated for its extraordinary attention to detail, luminous treatment of light, and ability to capture the personality and presence of her subjects. Sprung has received national recognition for her contributions to contemporary realism, including the honor of painting the official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama for the White House collection. Through her art, she continues the tradition of classical portrait painting with elegance, technical precision, and emotional depth.
Ardith Starostka
Ardith Starostka is a portrait artist who paints with beautiful realism and tenderness, allowing her paintings to look as though they could breathe, often prompting viewers to lean in closer, wishing they could reach out and touch them. Mixing realism with surrealism, Starostka enjoys building complex compositions and working in painstaking detail. She will spend months on each piece, building layers of paint as the figures begin to glow. Starostka has not only won countless awards, but she also is an Art Renewal Center Living Master, and a member of Oil Painters of America, a signature member of the International Guild of Realism, and a signature member of the Portrait Society of America. She is nationally collected both privately and publicly, as well as being in the White House Collection in Washington, D.C.
William Suys
Representational Ameican oil painter William Suys especially loves bringing life to “people and other animals” and is known for his sensitive treatment of both. His ready appreciation for the nuanced personalities of individuals – human and otherwise – has brought him inspiration as well as recognition, and his passion for lifelong learning keeps him devoted to building a body of work that will stand the test of time. Suys takes a “no excuses” approach to both life and career and works hard at continual improvement in order to make grateful use of the gift he was given. He sits on the Board of the Oil Painters of America, he teaches, lectures, judges, coaches, critiques, and nurtures.
Judy Takács
Judy Takács is an American portrait painter known for her emotionally expressive realist paintings and socially engaged artistic themes. Her work often focuses on resilience, identity, and human connection, combining strong technical skill with compassionate storytelling. Takács is especially recognized for portrait series that highlight personal experiences and underrepresented voices, using color, gesture, and expression to create psychological depth. Through her art, she brings contemporary relevance and emotional honesty to the tradition of portrait painting.
Jianwu Tan
Jianwu Tan was born in Hunan, China, in 1971 and graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Hunan Normal University. He currently works as a professional painter and lives in Beijing. Tan is a member of the American Portrait Painting Association, the Chinese Artists Committee of the Ministry of Culture, the Beijing Oil Painting Society, and is the president of the New Representation Oil Painting Salon. His work advocates a neoclassical style and focuses on portraits. In 2017, Tan won first place in the custom portrait category of the 13th American Portrait Association.
His work is published on the covers of Popular Painting and Calligraphy, Baobao Art, and International Artists Magazine, among other publications.
James Tennison
James Tennison is a portrait painter known for his realistic and thoughtfully composed works that capture both likeness and personality. A graduate of ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, he spent several years as a freelance illustrator, eventually making the transition from illustration to portraiture and fine art. Inspired by local geography, neighborhoods and landmarks in his home town of Fort Worth, Texas - as well as subjects he finds on his travels - Tennison seeks to paint the beauty he finds all around. What really excites him is the effect of light - sunlight and shadow - and the colors that can be seen in shadows and reflected light if one looks closely. Tennison's paintings have been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, and he has taught and guest lectured at several colleges and universities and has given many private painting workshops.
Hsin-Yao Tseng
Hsin-Yao Tseng was born in Taipei, Taiwan and is currently living and working in San Francisco, CA.
His paintings, done in a romantic, expressive manner, honor the Western tradition while signaling an edgy, contemporary complexity. He has a curiosity and energy that propels him toward experimentation and innovation; accordingly, he works in a range of genres: from lush evocations of cityscapes to expressive portraits, and lustrous interiors and exteriors in which multiple figures enact a story, and finally to his recent new exploration in bright colors of flower paintings. Hsin-Yao’s prose testifies to the fact that he is ambitious in the best sense; he is eager to push his art beyond what’s immediate and popular toward the timeless and real. Over the years, Hsin-Yao has won many national and international awards including the First Place awards at Southwest Art Magazine Artist Excellence competition in 2016. He has exhibited his works in a large number of gallery group shows and solo shows across the United States, Europe, and Taiwan as well as at the MEAM in Barcelona, Spain.
Kazuya Ushioda
Japanese artist Kazuya Ushioda paints exquisite portraits that merge traditional techniques with innovative materials. Interested in painting from a young age, Ushioda earned a PhD in Fine Art from Bunsei University in 2015 where during his doctoral research he focused on developing new tempera formulations. This resulted in the creation of Impasto OG Tempera, his now signature medium. The unique water-based formula allows the artist more flexibility even if the paint is applied thickly, as it provides outstanding adhesion and has quick drying properties. Although cleanliness and purity are recurring themes Ushioda’s work, he regards ‘prayer’ as the most important one, not in a religious way, but rather as hope for the goodness of humanity. His work offers a thoughtful response to what he sees as an uncertain and jarring world, aiming to highlight beauty to inspire the viewer. Ushioda has exhibited across the world in Japan, Spain, USA and the UK, and his work can be found in numerous private collections.
Susan Wakeen
Susan Wakeen is an American portrait sculptor. Her works are inspired by the emotions of people in everyday life. The individual expressions and realistic depictions of her portraits hold a timeless quality which she hopes will survive decades of observation. Wakeen has received the highest National and International awards, honors, and recognitions by the industry’s most prestigious art organizations. She has taught in the Brookgreen Gardens Master’s Teaching Program at Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC, home of the largest and most comprehensive collection of American figurative sculpture in the country. Her travels have taken her to Italy, China, Spain, and Grenada to study and perfect her artistry. These experiences have been a rich part of her transition from the commercial field of design to the fine art world, allowing her to embrace the history and works of the great masters.
Patricia Watwood
Patricia Watwood is a contemporary figurative realist artist. In a style that is classical with subtle contemporary cues, she uses careful drawing, lively color and brushwork, with a sculptural sense of form to create highly realistic and palpably emotive works. Her works have been seen at the Beijing World Art Museum, The European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM), The Butler Museum, and held in the permanent collections of The St. Louis University Museum of Art, The New Britain Museum of American Art, and The Salmagundi Club. Watwood creates commissioned portraits, which hang at institutions such as St. Louis City Hall, Washington University, and Harvard University.
Louise Solecki Weir
Louise Solecki Weir is a sculptor known for creating expressive works that combine refined craftsmanship with a strong sense of movement and form. She first trained in Fine Arts at Vancouver Community College before studying in Italy with the University of Georgia and receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University in Toronto. She obtained her accreditation as an art therapist from the Toronto Art Therapy Institute. Weir has traveled to England, Italy and the United States to take classes in sculpture and has studied forensic reconstruction under Karen T. Taylor.
Currently, she works on her own artistic practice and commissioned pieces. Her work can be found in private collections in Canada, the U.S., England, and Australia.
Jennifer Welty
Jennifer Welty grew up wanting to capture a sense of timelessness in her work. Beauty, family, integrity, character, the reward of hard work and discipline are values she tries to honor through her paintings. Welty graduated Valedictorian with a degree in interior design from International Fine Arts College in Miami, Florida, but she is largely self-taught in the field of portraiture. With no formal instruction in painting, she taught herself to paint by copying great masterworks, practicing on friends and family, and drawing endlessly. Recently, she has studied with Daniel Greene, Casey Baugh, C.W. Mundy, and Nancy Guzik. Involvement in the Portrait Society of America helped raise the bar extremely high in the field of portraiture, and it was there that Welty received numerous awards for her work.
Amy Werntz
Amy Werntz is as American artist based in Dallas, TX. Growing up in an artistic family, art and creativity were always encouraged. She received her BFA in Interior Design in 2002, creating art in her free time. In 2010 Werntz made the decision to pursue her art on a more full-time basis. In her work she focuses on ordinary moments in the lives of the people around her. She has exhibited her work throughout the U.S. and has been an award recipient, and or finalist, in many competitions including the Portrait Society of Americas International Portrait Competition, The Bennett Prize 2.0, and the 15th International ARC Salon. Her paintings have been featured in publications such as Artists Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur, and International Artists.
Thomas Wharton
Thomas Wharton studied at The Art Students League of New York, The New York Studio School, The New York Academy of Art, The Grand Central Academy, Parsons, School of Visual Arts, and The National Academy of Design. His work has won many awards, and has been shown in galleries across the U.S. Wharton’s paintings have been included many publications, including American Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, International Artist, and Poets and Artists magazines, as well as the book, 21st Century Figurative Art: The Resurrection of Art. His work can be found in private and institutional collections throughout the United States. In addition to his work as a fine artist, Wharton is a published children’s book author and illustrator and had a successful career as a designer, illustrator, art director and creative director in New York City.
Ernest Vincent Wood III
Ernest Vincent Wood III discovered his passion for painting while studying art history and the light depicted by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. After earning his BFA from Wichita State in 2006, he studied in Italy under the Koch Cultural Trust and has recently begun creating sacred works for The Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Wood has exhibited internationally, including at the Evansville Museum, which acquired his Bacchae series. His painting More Than Material won 2nd place in The Portrait Society’s 2020–2021 competition before selling at Sotheby’s. Blending the Dutch Baroque aesthetic with modern themes, Wood’s work merges Old World mastery with contemporary relevance.
Wesley Wofford
Wesley Wofford is an American sculptor known for his large-scale figurative bronze sculptures and public monuments. Wofford's sculptures stand as testaments to the power of presence, blending dynamic forms with intricate textures to evoke profound emotional responses. His intimate portraits resonate with a depth of feeling that transcends bronze, inviting viewers into the inner worlds of his subjects. As a Fellow and Past Board Member of the National Sculpture Society, Wofford's contributions extend far beyond his studio. In 2019, Wofford sculpted his first historical monument, "Harriet Tubman: The Journey to Freedom," igniting a fervor for using public sculpture as a catalyst for positive change. The overwhelming response to this monumental work awakened an activism within him, inspiring him to embark on a mission to elevate the untold stories of our collective history. Wofford’s primary focus has shifted towards monumental works, collaborating with communities and fellow activists to bring to light forgotten stories from our shared history. Through his art, Wofford intertwines threads of history, humanity, and hope, reminding us of the indomitable spirit that resides within us all. Each sculpture honors the past, illuminates the present, and inspires the future, leaving an enduring legacy that contributes to the ongoing journey towards a more equitable world.
Ming Yu
Ming Yu is a Chinese portrait artist. In 1993, he was admitted to the Middle School Affiliated with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. He later continued his studies at the academy, entering the Department of Oil Painting’s First Studio in 1998. After graduating in 2002, he began teaching at the academy’s Urban Design Institute. In 2006, Yu was appointed to teach at the Middle School Affiliated with the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. From 2006 to 2007, he also served as Vice President of the school’s Young Teachers Association. In 2007, he continued his artistic studies at Shanghai Normal University, where he focused on 19th-century European Academic oil painting techniques under Professor Xu Mengyao. In 2010, he began pursuing a doctorate at the School of Plastic Arts of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, studying under renowned artist Jin Shangyi. In 2014, he returned to teach at the academy’s Urban Design Institute. Today, Yu is an associate professor and doctoral scholar at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts. He is also a member of the Chinese Artists Association and the Beijing Oil Painting Society.
Elizabeth Zanzinger
Elizabeth Zanzinger is an award-winning painter with an enthusiastic international following. She developed her artistic voice through her studies at the Aristides Atelier and Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle. Zanzinger finished her education with a fellowship award at the Grand Central Academy, New York City, in 2012. Since then she has completed a number of commissioned portraits of accomplished individuals, including former Chief Justice Ronald M. George of the California Supreme Court. Zanzinger's paintings echo the traditional skills gained from a disciplined classical training, although the work often celebrates non-traditional subjects. Through expert painting from life and rhythmic compositions she imbues mundane subjects with a sense of beauty and wonder. Using strong drawing abilities, skilled brushwork, and luminous color she has combined approaches from multiple influences to create her own unique approach to painting. Her work is often loaded with detail, and yet her brushwork can be loose to give breath and movement to the images.
Stephen Zhang
Stephen Zhang is an accomplished water media artist and design professor with a passion for creating large-scale watercolor paintings that showcase his fluid, expressive, and empathetic style. Born in China, he graduated from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts and received his MFA from the University of North Texas. In addition to his successful career as a design leader, Zhang is currently an Associate Professor in Communication Design at the University of North Texas. His artwork has received widespread recognition both nationally and internationally, winning awards from prestigious exhibitions organized by the American Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Watercolor USA, American Illustration, and the Chinese National Art Exhibition, among others. Two of his paintings are currently exhibited at the US Embassy in Equatorial Guinea. His work has been featured in publications such as Watercolor Artist, American Art Collector, Art Connoisseur, and International Artist.
Rainny Zhao
Rainny Zhao is a self-taught oil painter whose work explores the nuanced intersection between perception, presence, and the inner world. With a strong foundation in portraiture and figurative painting, her work has been recognized on both national and international levels, earning numerous honors from leading art institutions. Zhao’s work has received top awards in multiple Oil Painters of America (OPA) and American Impressionist Society (AIS) exhibitions, including the Gold Medal Award at the 2025 OPA Western Regional Exhibition, and multiple Awards of Excellence from OPA’s national and regional shows. In 2025, she received the Southwest Art Magazine Award of Excellence in the AIS 26th National Exhibition, juried by Ned Mueller. Her work has also been featured in the Portrait Society of America’s Member Only Competition, where she was a Finalist in 2024 and earned Ninth Place in 2022.
Vladimir Zlotskiy
Vladimir Zlotskiy is a figurative artist specializing in portrait drawing and painting. His work seeks to capture the soul and character of his subjects, creating images with a timeless quality. Drawing from life remains central to his artistic practice, and pastel has become his preferred medium as a natural gateway into the world of color. Zlotskiy grew up in Feodosia, a small town in Crimea with a rich 2,500-year history. As a child, he attended an art school where the curriculum focused primarily on still life and landscape studies. Although he did not initially pursue art seriously and instead chose to attend engineering college, he remained largely self-taught as a draftsman and continually felt drawn to portraiture. At one point between engineering jobs, Zlotskiy worked as a street portrait artist, further developing his skills and passion for figurative art. After moving to America, he stepped away from art temporarily while building a new life. Eventually, studying at the Art Students League of New York gave him the opportunity to reconnect with and fully embrace his passion for figurative painting and drawing.
