In a world where we are constantly inundated with images, it can be easy to forget the power of a simple portrait. Portrait art has the ability to capture a person’s essence in a way that is both powerful and intimate. Whether it is a loved one, a friend, or even a stranger, a portrait can tell a story and provide a window into the soul.

For centuries, portrait artists have used their talent to capture the likeness of their subjects. But it is not just about getting the physical features right. A good portrait artist is able to capture the inner life of their subject, to create an image that is both true to the person and revealing of their character.

Whether it is a formal painting or a more casual snapshot, a portrait has the ability to stop time and preserve a moment in a way that nothing else can.

So the next time you are looking at a portrait, take a moment to really see the person in front of you. And If you want to know about some incredible portrait artists then you are at the right place.

This week’s Arts to Hearts Project Feature article highlights five contemporary portrait artist that will make your jaw drop when you will see their work.

Therefore, please continue reading to learn more about them and their fantastic work.

Barbi Taylor (@art_by_barbi)

I’m Barbi Taylor, a mom, and wifey to two amazing kids! I am a professional Artist for hire, paint party host, and small business owner, fueled by a passion for beauty, nature, and new experiences.

Being an “Artist for Hire” means that I take your ideas & visions and turn them into colorful works of art. I believe that everyone should have beautiful art in their homes that they absolutely love & fits their unique tastes. I have had the pleasure of working on countless projects from hand-painted signs, to logo designs. If you can think of it, I can make it!

Allison Meriwether (@a.merarts)

 Primarily a figurative oil painter, Allison is currently exploring the connections between the nature of physical existence, psyche, and identity. Drawing inspiration from the people around her and her own personal life experiences, Allison’s oil paintings convey an authentic and honest representation of each subject, infusing personal and universal narratives within each piece to stir the viewer to question and connect to the stories behind each painting.

Allison received her BFA from Spring Hill College and attended graduate school at New York University and Long Island University where she obtained a master’s degree in fine arts. She now creates full-time in her Knoxville studio while teaching high school. Her work has been shown in several galleries in Tennessee, New York, Boston, Texas, Florida, Oregon, Alabama, and Washington, DC.

She has exhibited internationally in galleries in Seoul, Korea. Select pieces of her work are on permanent display at the Osceola Center for the Arts in Kissimmee, Florida, and at the RCA Gallery in Washington, DC. She is a member of the Cambridge Art Association and the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville

Keziah Burt (@keziahburtartist)

My name is Keziah Burt, I am a professional figurative artist and teacher living and working in Bristol with my young family. I am passionate about creating bespoke sculptures for my clients in bronze or fired clay. There is nothing sweeter than knowing something I imagined and created with the skill in my hands, is bringing joy to someones life everyday in their home or garden.

It can take just one piece of sculpture to create a life long love affair with collecting art.

  Gayle Ebose (@gayle.ebose)

Gayle Ebose was born and bred in London. She studied Broadcast Journalism at Nottingham Trent University and a few years later received her postgraduate in Fine Art Painting at Camberwell College of Arts at the University of Arts London. Gayle currently works as a full time artist.

Gayle Ebose’s practice places both Ebose and her subject’s telling their story at the centre as they navigate life’s experiences through the body and skin they are in. She uses the process of portrait painting as a means to preserve the faces and voices of sojourners whose bodily image is recorded by Ebose’s real-time brushwork, depicting in-between, small moments over conversation.

The subjectivity of her portraits gives them agency, they are conversational and unapologetic in their presence. Each painting invites us to contemplate our own existence and inner wellbeing and gently points us to the awareness of God and how He fearfully and wonderfully makes us in His image.

YAROSLAVA TICHSHENKO (@yaroslava.tichshenko)

The chromatic impact of a painting is of great importance to me; I avoid the modern brownish paintings in every possible way. I can’t even see the world in that manner – my vision is very chromatic, and so are my paintings.—Yaroslava Tichshenko

Lively, daring, and bold, Yaroslava is unable to paint in any other manner. The energetic decorativeness of her work, rooted in the impressionist and post-impressionist tradition, is intensified by the outstanding draughtsmanship and psychological honesty typical of her work.

Yaroslava Tichshenko studied painting professionally for 11 years, first at the College of Art in her hometown of Karaganda, followed by a 6-year program at the famous Repin Institute for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in St. Petersburg, Russia, from which she graduated in 2016.

​Yaroslava has held solo and group exhibitions in Japan, China, UK, Russia, and Kazakhstan, including exhibitions at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters in London. 

She is a winner of multiple awards, including the American Art Awards.

So this is the work of our featured artists.

And we are excited to tell you that we are exhibiting our virtual solo show with Lise Ellingsen on 1st November and if you want to be part of it then you can RSVP on the link below and we cant wait to meet you.

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