Samantha Van Heest

«Meet the Queen» Still Life Oil Painting by Samantha Van Heest

2019

Shit happens sometimes. In this piece, the artist wanted to create an unsettling and claustrophobic space where people feel most private and vulnerable. Inspired by artist Tala Madani, she created a cartoon figure to act as the voyeur, a bright and unwelcome disturbance that cannot be ignored. Samantha Van Heest...

This study takes inspiration from historical “reclining nude” paintings, most of which were painted through the perspective of the male gaze. The artist wanted to change the narrative and make the woman feel more empowered and dominant in her situation, aware of the power she holds. Samantha Van Heest...

This painting was inspired by the artists very first toy, a small blue giraffe, given to her as a day-old baby. It is something that has been around her whole life, and even though it is inanimate, there is a feeling of personification through the years of wear. Her brother as a baby would call giraffes “fa,” which is always a sweet memory she associate with this toy. Samantha Van Heest...

It’s Okay, Little Crab (Sensory Overload) in a way feels like a self portrait, with the vacuum acting as a personified vision of time and societal expectation. The vacuum may never reach the crab, but its loud and disturbing presence will. Samantha Van Heest...

Kelly Birkenruth's (US based) "The Genesis of Femininity" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a still life of two green granny smith apples and a halved egg shell in situ with a smaller than life bronze statue of a feminine figure. Kelly Birkenruth’s captivating paintings are in the style of contemporary realism while staying firmly grounded in the tradition of the Old Masters. She is able to pull the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes she is able to evoke sensitivity and empathy, which in turn allows her to create images which transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject. Kelly’s arresting compositions, draftsmanship, use of color and observation of detail allow her to create paintings with a timeless quality. After earning her degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kelly moved to southern California where she began a career as a fashion model. Her agency soon sent her abroad to Paris and Tokyo, where she spent the next several years modeling. When she wasn’t walking the runway, she spent endless hours in the great museums of the world, closely observing and studying the works of the Old Masters. “My time abroad, particularly in Paris, opened my eyes to the vast beauty and power of a great painting. After that I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to the pursuit of Fine Art” said Birkenruth. After returning to the States, Kelly studied at Otis College of Art in Los Angeles, CA. She then continued her studies through workshops and private study with renowned artists such as Daniel Sprick, Steven Assael and Jesus Emmanuel Villarreal. In the spring of 2019...

This exceptional artwork is currently on display and available for sale at Signet Contemporary Art Gallery and online. In Underworld, Natalie Toplass constructs a hauntingly poetic ...

Collection of an array of items that epitomize beauty, this still life painting celebrates romance and joie de vivre, by Elizabeth Barlow, who meticulously creates oil "portraits" that feature still life objects to represent the essence of her subject. In this case the artist depicts the concept of "beauty" through the placement of various beloved items and their shadow as a "portrait" of a lady...

Jon Doran's (UK based) "Recomposed No. 2" is an oil painting created in 2019 and it depicts white and pink roses on a white background. Artist statement: "I am interested in taking...