Derrick Schmidt is a self-taught artist based in Kansas City. His work focuses on a search for freedom from previous hardships of abuse in past relationships and his own personal struggles. These areas of his life play a pivotal role in his work and the figures and abstract...
Painter Hamama Bushra has studied the arts in Pakistan and the United States. Influenced by both her graphic design background and her South Asian roots, Hamama paints colorful and multi patterned portraits of women displaying confidence and femininity. Hamama’s artwork will...
Margarita Friedman is a lifelong entrepreneur and educator. Born in Mexico, where she studied psychology at the Academia de San Carlos, Friedman has since taught art in Pittsburg, PA, and New York City and Long Island, NY. Friedman’s “That’s My Drawing” series utilizes her...
Micael Elrod’s paintings are founded on symbolism through plants and animals and their relationship with humanity. Her paintings, rich with color and detail, are a reflection on “beauty of life, death, partership, cooperation and balance." Micael’s artwork will be on display...
Tammy Barton is a visionary and intuitive artist who loves capturing vibrant colors, energy and movement in her artwork. Barton’s goal is to create an artistic journey into the imaginary realms inspiring the viewer to see and feel the healing energies created in each piece...
Black Space Black Art is an artist's collective started by Natasha Ria El-Scari, owner of the Natasha Ria Art Gallery. The collective matches African American artists to local businesses in order to broaden the exposure of the artists and the artwork and introduce it within...
Painter Hamama Bushra has studied the arts in Pakistan and the United States. Influenced by both her graphic design background and her South Asian roots, Hamama paints colorful and multi patterned portraits of women displaying confidence and femininity. Hamama’s artwork will...
Painter Barbara McLaughlin is a passionate caregiver and artist. Starting out as a portrait artist, she has incorporated her study with reiki, healing and meditation into her pieces, creating work that expresses her practice of healing through creative expression and...
Fluid artist Casey Kempter creates abstract art inspired by space, oceans and sea life. Using varying viscosities of acrylic paint, powder pigments and ink, Kempter manipulates the mediums with palette knives, spades and a heat gun, resulting in pieces expressive of movement...
A native of Sudan, Hassaballa Omar Hassablla now lives and creates art in Olathe, Kansas. Hassaballa’s background is in anthropology, but he was inspired to paint by the views of Mount Rainier and the Sudanese landscapes and traditions. His stylized and vibrant pieces are a...
Originally from Mexico City, KCMO artist Margarita Friedman is a painter, educator and co-founder of Art Garden KC. Her paintings are inspired by her experiences and communicate a social message. Margarita’s artwork will be on display at the Antioch branch until April 30...
Former Hallmark executive and trained printmaker Patti Streeper has turned her creative energy toward painting. With a focus on portraits, Patti uses art to tell the stories of women who have made significant contributions to society. Streeper’s artwork is on display at the...
Kansas City native Robert Castillo is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, music producer and visual artist. His work is driven by creative experimentation and draws inspiration from his heritage, his music background and abstract art. Robert’s artwork will be on display at...
Black Space Black Art is an artists collective started by Natasha Ria El-Scari, owner of the Natasha Ria Art Gallery. The collective matches African American artists to local businesses, in order to broaden the exposure of the artists and the artwork and introduce it within...
Educator and painter Eiman Yousif draws artistic inspiration from her cultural experiences in Africa and UAE. Her work is colorful and abstract with a focus on feminism. Eiman’s artwork is on display at the Corinth branch until December 21, 2022.
Introduce yourself...
Jean Hershey developed as a painter through her years working as a commercial artist. She allows emotions and the subconscious mind to guide her in the creation of abstract pieces with bold color and movement. Hershey’s artwork will be on display at the Shawnee branch until...
Originally from the Philippines, Kansas City based artist Raffaela Malazarte has been experimenting with oil painting since 2000. Her style is greatly influenced by fauvism and impressionism.Raffaela’s choice of colors and brush strokes are very bold, thick and vibrant...
Kansas City based artist Benjamin Parks focuses primarily on painting large-scale portraits and figurative work. Benjamin adds personality and life to his realistic pieces through multiple layers and strokes, which represent the emotional history of both subject and painter...
Polly McCann is an artist, author, speaker on imagination and the creative practice and founder of Flying Ketchup Press. Polly often draws inspiration for her colorful pieces through her research on the creative subconscious and dreams. McCann’s artwork is on display at the...
Kansas City artist and KCAI alumna Terri Pollack draws inspiration for her pieces from the art world around her. Painting brightly colored backgrounds, she creates vibrant images and then crosses her work into different media. Terri’s work is on display at the Oak Park...
Xavier Gayden is a KCMO illustrator making watercolor and digital artwork. Using bold shapes, patterns and color, Xavier’s work challenges the viewer to use their abstract mind. Gayden’s artwork is on display at the Antioch branch until August 21, 2022.
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What comes...
Zac Bendrick is a painter experimenting with expressionism and abstraction. Using bold strokes and color, Zac creates large-scale pieces representing emotional themes and feelings. Bendrick’s work is on display at the Central Resource branch until August 21, 2022.
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In...
Campbell is a 21-year-old visual artist from Lawrence, Kansas. He has been painting and developing his style from a young age, taking inspiration from renowned painters such as Monet, Van Gogh and Haring. Using his emotional connection to colors and imagery from his...
Jean McGuire is a Kansas City native and painter. When she returned to painting after a 40 year hiatus, Jean often used her fingers as tools and a limited color range to create. Although her fingers are still a favorite tool, Jean now experiments with different techniques...
Introduce yourself and describe your work and the media/genre you work in.
Hello, my name is Kathy Liao. I’m a visual artist, an art educator, and an art administrator. My recent paintings and wall drawing installations document the fluid state between experience, memory...
Self-taught artist Lynell Diggs works in charcoal and acrylic, creating visually stimulating art using vibrant color and movement. Lynell’s focus for his work is to honor his ancestors and inspire those who view it. His work has been exhibited at the Negro Leagues Baseball...
A Kansas City Art Institute graduate, Joha Bisone lives and works in Kansas City and has participated in numerous local exhibits, group shows and collaborations. Joha’s use of bright color and fluidity reflect a vibrancy and movement inspired by nature, while the...
Daniel Baxley is a former firefighter turned artist living and working in Gardner, Kansas. Drawing inspiration from the unconscious, Daniel creates abstract pieces using oil on canvas, mosaic, sculpture and fused glass, often exploring similar themes through the different...
Kansas City native and artist Dylan Carroll views painting as a cathartic experience and takes time to let the canvas speak to him. Carroll elevates acrylic into a three dimensional medium by using tools and objects to lift and manipulate the paint. Dylan can often be found...
Book illustrator and former creative director for Hallmark, John Keeling specializes in custom portraits. Primarily working in watercolor, John is drawn to the medium for it’s freedom, transparency and unpredictability. His work can also be seen on calendars and greeting...