5 Contemporary Painters on Instagram You Should Follow!

At Arts to Hearts Project, we’ve always believed that art is more than what we see it’s what we feel. Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of spotlighting over 30,000+ women artists from around the world, sharing their stories through carefully curated exhibitions, thoughtfully produced publications, and heartfelt conversations.  With a growing community of over 100,000+ followers, we continue to create spaces where creativity is nurtured, diversity is honored, and expression is celebrated. We don’t just showcase artwork we honor the human behind the brush. This week, we’re shining a light on five contemporary painters who are truly on our radar. These women are not only creating beautiful visuals they’re painting with soul, vulnerability, and purpose. From capturing quiet emotions on canvas to exploring identity, healing, and connection through color and form, each of these artists brings something powerful to the table. They remind us that painting isn’t just technique or tradition but it’s a way of understanding the world, processing our inner landscapes, and reaching out to others. These are artists who paint from the heart, and in doing so, they help us connect more deeply to our own.

So take a moment, slow down, and meet five incredible painters whose work is both moving and necessary in today’s world. We’re honoured to share them with you.

1. Deneé Webster ( @pink_tomboy_)

Deneé Webster is a Florida-based painter whose work is rooted in emotion, memory, and meaningful connection. Through her studio, DW Paints, Deneé creates hand-painted custom oil portraits that go far beyond likeness they capture the soul of a moment. From weddings and family milestones to heartfelt memorials and beloved pets, her paintings feel like visual love letters intimate, timeless, and deeply human.

What sets Deneé apart is her ability to paint with both precision and empathy. She sees the subtle details: the way someone holds a hand, the softness in a smile, or the quiet strength in someone’s gaze. These nuances are gently translated onto canvas with layers of oil paint, creating works that are not only visually stunning but emotionally resonant. Her portraits often become treasured heirlooms for family’s pieces that hold memory in colour and brushstroke. It’s this sincere, soulful approach that makes Deneé Webster one of the most moving contemporary painters to watch.

2. Kim West (@westkim)

Based in Los Angeles, Kim West’s work reflects a deep-rooted connection to the city’s sunbaked textures and muted tones. Kim’s signature style lies in the way she captures the spirit of everyday spaces: stucco walls, alleyways, forgotten corners and turns them into poetic compositions that feel both grounded and quietly emotional.

Her paintings often feel like still frames of a larger story, inviting the viewer to slow down and look again. There’s a calm confidence in her brushwork, a softness that suggests presence and memory, an echo of the lives lived within these places. It’s this ability to find beauty in the overlooked and tell stories through simplicity that makes Kim West stand out. Her voice is unmistakably her own, and her work continues to inspire. Without a doubt, she belongs among today’s most thoughtful and evocative contemporary painters.

3. Maritza van Zyl (@maritzavanzyl)

Maritza van Zyl is a South African painter whose work radiates warmth, storytelling, and a sense of playful freedom. A self-taught artist with over 25 years of creative exploration, Maritza embraces a naïve painting style intentionally unrefined, deeply expressive, and filled with personal meaning. Her work is characterized by a fearless use of acrylics, oils, ink, and mixed media, blending vibrant color with emotion-driven composition.

Maritza’s pieces often feel like heartfelt conversations between the past and present, rooted in everyday experiences, imagination, and cultural memory. Her joy in the act of painting is palpable; she paints not to follow rules but to follow feeling. Each piece reflects her unshakable belief that creativity is a natural part of life a way to connect, to process, and to celebrate. Maritza is one of the most refreshingly honest contemporary painters to watch, thanks to her wholehearted dedication to painting from the soul. Through color, texture, and spontaneity, she creates visual experiences that uplift and inspire, reminding us of that beauty often lives in simplicity and that joy is worth celebrating in every brushstroke.

4. Kindah Khalidy (@kindahkhalidy)

Based in California, Kindah Khalidy work overflows with vibrant color, intuitive movement, and expressive form. A graduate of California College of the Arts, Kindah blends painting, pattern-making, and textile design into a visual language that’s both spontaneous and sincere. Her large-scale abstract works are built in layers each piece unfolding through instinct and experimentation. With shapes that feel both constructed and free, and a palette that pulses with energy, her canvases invite viewers into playful yet deeply felt spaces.

Kindah is one of the most joyfully expressive contemporary painters today Her wholehearted approach to painting radiates honesty, making each piece feel both personal and universal. Kindah’s art bridges fine art and functional design. Her brand Seamripper brings her bold patterns to life through wearable textiles and accessories, in collaboration with renowned brands like Nordstrom, Vans, and Gorman. She’s also been recognized by institutions such as SF MOMA and Facebook’s Artist in Residence program, with exhibitions across San Francisco and New York. Whether on canvas or cloth, Kindah Khalidy continues to paint from the soul, making her a voice we love in contemporary art.

5. Anca Visan-Bojora (@ilustradele)

Anca is a watercolor illustrator, photographer, and designer who transforms everyday beauty into visual poetry. Her work gently uncovers the magic hidden in the quiet corners of life flowers in bloom, glimmering stars, wandering insects, and the stillness of natural landscapes. Each piece is infused with the wonder of a dreamer and the deep sensitivity of someone who feels the world closely.

With a heart full of color and a deep connection to nature, she captures fleeting moments not just through her lens, but also with soft, fluid brushstrokes and symbolic, luminous palettes. Her digital artistry using tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and CorelDRAW—reflects her ability to blend structure with emotion, design with instinct. Guided by the intuition of a true Pisces, Anca creates from a space of empathy, introspection, and emotional honesty. Her pieces don’t just depict fantasy; they feel like dreams unfolding in real time. That’s what makes her one of the most enchanting contemporary artists to watch her art offers a gentle escape, a moment of pause, and a reminder that even the smallest details carry quiet, surreal beauty.

These five contemporary painters to watch are more than creators they are storytellers, healers, and visionaries reshaping the art landscape with their authenticity. From therapeutic expression to joyful watercolour tales, from surreal fables to deeply abstract language, their practices reflect the diverse possibilities of modern creativity. As a platform committed to amplifying women in art, Arts to Hearts Project is proud to support these remarkable voices. Follow their journeys, invest in their work, and continue celebrating the power of art that dares to feel, dream, and transform.