Sally K

Empress II - Original Sally K Figurative Portrait Artwork on Canvas

2023

Sally K was born in Ohio following her family’s emigration from Lebanon. Shortly after her birth, her family moved to Saudi Arabia, where she stayed until she was 14. Sally attended high school and college in Beirut, where she graduated with a BA in fine arts with distinction from the Lebanese American University of Beirut. In 2013, Sally and her family moved back to the United States and she now paints out of her studio in California. The focus of Sally’s portraits is contemporary women. Her style merges characteristics of abstract expressionism with realism and portrait painting to convey not just the beauty of women, but their confidence and strength as well. They are alluring, flirtatious and demure with an inspiring femininity that Sally describes as the “sensuality, independence and confidence you see in strong women.” Sally’s portraits of women are intensely personal. She states, “The women I paint are an extension of me, of what I feel, how I process my surroundings, my thoughts, my anger, my pleasure. They’re the confident strong women that I strive to be. Sometimes tough and daring, sometimes shy and reserved, but always self-assured and determined; they represent what captivates me in other women; the qualities I admire, and strengths that I strive to gain.” Sally draws inspiration from photography, pop culture and fashion as well as artists ranging from the pop art of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock to the gilded florals and figures of Gustav Klimt. Her highly regarded paintings have been featured in group and solo shows in Beirut, Dubai, Italy and the USA.