Top 50 Acrylic Paint Artists You Need to Know About (And Their Iconic Work)

Abi Whitlock's work focuses predominately on the human form and how the mind and body are affected when immersed in water. This is mirrored by the way light is refracted and reflected, distorting and enhancing colour and shape. Whitlock captures the way entering the water enables the swimmer to enter an altered state of mind; a form of escapism from the real world. Her inspiration comes from life on the coast, trips to the beach and outdoor pools. The way she works puts great emphasis on minute detail. This imparts every aspect of the painting with value and depth which in turn gives the observer the sense that they themselves are becoming immersed along with the swimmer. Although Whitlock works in a hyperrealist style; the way she paints water creates natural abstraction within her pieces. Water and its interplay with light generate unusual, distorted and complex patterns, altering the perception of everyday images. In some of her most recent work, she also includes the technique of acrylic pouring; using the natural fluidity of paint to mimic the fluidity of water. The vivid, marbled colours and the uncontrolled way they flow across the canvas creates a sense of freedom in the work; a sharp contrast to the tight photorealist element to her paintings.

My work is inspired by nature and the natural world and often by places that I have visited or feel connected to, such as the Hebrides, Orkney, Cornwall, the Lake District and Northumberland . I try to communicate the wild nature and isolation of these places and the feelings that they inspire in me. The natural forms and textures of the rock, the beauty of the landscape and the ever-changing weather. I work mainly in acrylic, but I also use charcoal, pencil, collage and pastel. I work on several pieces at a time, moving from one to the other. I start with intuitive mark making and build up many layers of paint and scrape through, sand back and rework to reveal the history of the painting. Some of my paintings are purely an exploration of colour, texture and line, but always with the landscape and elements of nature in mind.

I work in my studio in the garden, and I live in Nottingham. I trained in Art and Design in the 60s, attending Sheffield, Liverpool and Leeds Art Colleges. I taught Art for 20+ years in secondary and further education and taught Yoga and Meditation over the last 30+ years. Since Covid my work has become more abstract. I have exhibited in various Nottinghamshire exhibitions over the past 40 years, including Surface Gallery in Nottingham in 2022 and at the Fronteer Gallery in Sheffield in July 2021, as well as several national online exhibitions in 2021& 2022 Including Flux Virtual and Cultivate Presents Impart - a maximalist on-line exhibition. I currently have work in 'ORDER, PURITY, SIMPLICITY, SPIRITUALITY' an online exhibition with Cista Arts.

Every few months, Art Post artists unite to create an original piece of artwork - celebrating iconic masterpieces and our wonderful city of Sheffield. Each piece created by the collective is showcased on the limited edition Sheffield Art Totes.

Edinburgh based artist who specialises in semi abstract flowers and collage landscapes. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Gustav Klimt and her love of flower gardens and countryside, Pamela creates complex and exuberant works using vibrant colour and golden accents. Her works are full of movement and her use of pattern and collage invite close inspection to fully appreciate the details and textures involved. Pamela exhibits her work on a regular basis and has works on private collections across the United Kingdom as well as in Brussels, Los Angeles and New Zealand.

Christopher is a self taught emerging artist currently near in the city of Bath, painting expressive and vibrant landscapes that draw from the locale's sense of place. Chris's paintings have been exhibited around Bath, Bristol and Cornwall, where he also continues to explore for inspiration to develop his paintings. Working as an Architect full time and painting with whatever spare time he can find, Chris' work is rooted between detail and abstraction. The paintings explore a range of the environments we inhabit, from cityscapes and their contrasting architectural puzzles to coastal seascapes and the wild and unpredictable forms they take. The use of mixed media including acrylic, oil pastels and fine line pen encourage both his architectural and artistic sensibilities to paint detail surrounded by abstraction and expression. These are key aspects of his work creating unpredictable, unique and playful compositions.

I love learning new methods of working. From 1970 – 1993 I worked mainly in Collage and Enamel. During my MA studies 1973 -75, I began using mixed media and work became more abstract, looking at themes like erosion and change. I work in series to explore subject matter and often there is an underlying theme of memento mori. In 2013, moving to a more urban environment I discovered Wabi Sabi, the Japanese philosophy of accepting nothing stays the same and finding beauty in the imperfect. Subjects from world events from fake news, to covid crept into my subject matter in the pastel and collage images I made last year. I am presently working on the theme of borders between sky, land, and water. I am seeking to explore the Humber from Hessle near the Humber Bridge, where I live and the landscape and industries along its banks to Spurn Point and the seashore villages and towns along the eroding coast. Recording my present location seems important in the light of climate change at risk from flooding and coastal erosion. Changing industries chart its history from the prehistoric to present times. wartime defences still exist in the fortresses in the Humber itself and the remains of tank traps at spurn Point. I hope to explore it all in relevant media and present it in such a way it becomes a journey. It will probably be the last project in my artistic life but presents me with an exciting challenge. I will certainly never be bored!

I am a re emerging artist and have been re establishing my creative profile over the last 3 years. I have recently had a solo exhibition at the Lowry Hotel Manchester with Comme ca Art dealers and gallery. I have also had a exhibition with Sheffield based artist Mikk Murray at Rogue artist studios Manchester in which a dancer from Company Chameleon danced in response to my painting installation. . I also had a solo exhibition at Halle St Peters with cotton on manchester asa result of winning the accolade of Manc of the Year. Recent group exhibitions have included Hotel IMelia with Comme ca Art, Spring Into Cheltenham- Contemporary Painting exhibition, Art Gemini Winners Exhibition at the Exhibitionist Hotel London, Kings St Art Lancaster, Inch Arts Manchester.

My name is Cherry and I'm a coloured pencil artist! I spend my days drawing animals, from pets to wildlife, from my home studio in the gorgeous Hertfordshire countryside. I've always had a huge love of dogs and after drawing my own two pups, Cherry Watson Illustration began! Since late 2017 I have been lucky enough to illustrate so many animals, predominately pet portraits of our beloved dogs, cats, horses and the occasional parrot! My work also includes beautiful wildlife pieces, from hares and pheasants to fallow deer, and animals I see on my daily dog walks, like gorgeous cows and birds!

J.K. Bleeg is an American acrylic painter living in Bristol. In each of her works, she uses colour to build mood and provide the viewer with an escape to -- or a permanent reminder of -- a special place, memory, or state of mind. The vibrancy of the arts scene in Bristol has a strong influence on her paintings. She works out of a former music studio in Bristol and her latest collection of abstract work aims to translate the rhythm and mood of music onto canvas. Bleeg's paintings have been exhibited in juried shows in the U.S. and Europe and also included in such books as ArtFolio Annual 2021 and the Bristol & Bath Art Book. Her work is in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

Chio Fernández is originally from Málaga, Spain but relocated to London in 2009. From an early age, she was a talented painter and this love of art later progressed also to photography. While studying Civil Engineering in Spain, she made the brave decision to leave her degree and follow her passion. She moved to London where she completed a BA in Photography and Film at the University of Roehampton, graduating in 2014 and becoming a full time freelance photographer. In 2020, after finding herself with plenty of time in her hands due to the several lockdowns and related working limitations, Chio revisited her passion for painting and her work has become very popular amongst art lovers. Other than attending some classes in her home town of San Pedro de Alcántara when she was 10, she is mainly self-taught. For the past year, she has been creating beautiful colourful abstract paintings of women that are becoming a reflection and celebration of womanhood, female beauty and the challenges we encounter in this world. In less than a year she has already booked her first gallery show in The Depot, London, and her work is showcased in multiple locations across Hertfordshire.

I am a contemporary painter based in York. My work often features the North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire, Northumberland and Cornish coastlines as well as expressive still life. I work in a loose, spontaneous style using acrylic with mixed media (sometimes employing gold leaf), preferring to capture atmosphere and energy over too much detail. My work has been exhibited widely throughout Yorkshire and beyond including solo shows at the Hemsley Arts Centre and Beningbrough Hall (National Trust). I have exhibited several times with the Society of Women Artists and I am a member of Leeds Fine Artists which is one of the oldest regional arts bodies in the UK, established in 1874.

Cathie grew up in London before moving out West for university. She liked it so much, she stayed! A lover of both theatre and art, she spent some time painting sets at the National Theatre before becoming a stage manager, prop maker, teacher and then artist. Cathie has exhibited in various venues around Bristol, including The Island and Room 212, while supporting local mental health charities - an issue very close to her heart. Most of her artwork is small-scale, often no bigger than 20x20cm (a vast change from the scale required for theatre) and uses a combination of finger-painted strokes, fine detail and vibrant colour to capture the spectacle of the unexpectedly beautiful things in life. Expect to see white vans in city streets, warm lights on dark nights and lots of clouds. Sometimes Cathie craves working on something larger so every year or two she completes a 'big project painting' which she uses to continually develop her practice. She also creates limited edition lino print Christmas cards, with new designs each year. These are always very popular and have become a collectors' item for those who receive them.

Cate Blanchard, also known as The Sober Painter began making artwork after overcoming alcohol addiction in 2019. She was later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in 2021 at age 34. She paints abstract acrylics with bold colours and textures detailing Cate's storyboard of emotions on her journey of diagnosis and recovery.

Jo Sandford is an emerging abstract artist based in Manchester, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Jo studied art at college wanting to pursue a career in that field but despite choosing an alternative career pathway, Jo has continued to paint, nurturing her love for modern, contemporary art for over 20 years. Jo works in various mediums but primarily acrylic paints in her home studio. Her work explores texture, depth, colour and layers focusing on movement, energy and emotions within unique compositions. Jo's works are created on canvas, cradled wood panels and paper. Jo's art is constantly evolving and her paintings are a reflection of her personal feelings and emotions. She finds inspiration from her home city of Manchester with its vibrancy and amazing architecture along with the beauty and colour of nature, flowers and the ocean. Jo is passionate and enthusiastic about her art and continues to develop her style by exploring a variety of mediums to create perfect bespoke pieces for her clients homes. Each piece of artwork has been lovingly created by Jo to add colour, energy and decoration to any home.

I am an illustrator currently residing in Sheffield having previously lived in Manchester and Newcastle. I rediscovered my love of creating art during lockdown and I specialise in creating illustrated portraiture. The inspiration for my portraits reflects the musical journey of my life and each portrait relates to a past memory with a musical connection. I returned to art by exploring digital illustration as my impatience as an artist requires quick results. I have produced commissions alongside developing a collection of portrait illustrations in my own unique style. These capture the character of the musician through playing around with the proportion and positioning of key facial features. Creating the imperfect portrait brings me great joy when thinking about the ‘god like’ status in which some musicians can be held. As I have got more and more back into art it has allowed me to start to explore different media and produce larger acrylic works as well as working on a clothing collaboration with ‘A Twist In The Fabric’. I have produced illustrations for them around themes of ‘The 27 Club’ and reimagining classic art pieces in my own illustration style.

Sahara Poette started painting in 2015 with a friend around a table in a Spanish farmhouse. Encouraged by her friend, an artist, Sahara painted a few more pieces. After that she didn’t paint much again, then her father passed away and she started painting again. Her heritage is Jamaican - a Londoner and was privileged to have a father who was learned and world wise. The books on the shelf ranged from Marcus Garvey to Dubois, Sex and Race, War and Peace. “We listened to a lot of Black Classical Music-Jazz and art was all around. My mother was an artist, Father a musician amongst other things. My daughter paints as does my brother. I am the late comer.” Her influences and subject matters are centred around iconography and the figurative appeal of the female form. She creates abstract, layered and textured, applying lines, dots, patterns and colours. Sahara loves colour. “I will paint on anything from plates, to glass, whatever appeals to me, I will paint on it.” Her first work was exhibited in the Auntie Freeze Art Fair at CAVE SW1 2019 and sold ‘She Follows’. Subsequently, Sahara had her first solo exhibition ‘She Walks with Nature’, in May 2021 and sold some pieces much to her delight. She enjoys painting a wide plethora of subjects especially figurative and as her artist repertoire of knowledge deepens, she has come to appreciate the art of before and the art of now. Sahara an emerging artist, is keen to continue developing her art to see where it takes her. As a yoga and well-being practitioner, finding the balance between her two worlds intertwines her love of people and to see equality and justice within the human race.

I have lived in Sheffield for four years whilst being a student at the University of Sheffield. I am currently studying for a masters degree in Science Communication, but have always had a passion for art, and completed an Art Foundation Diploma prior to university. During lockdown, I started to use art more frequently as a creative release alongside my studies, rediscovering my art social media account from my Art Foundation days. I found myself painting a lot outside in the sun and enjoyed sharing what I’d done online so I’ve continued with it ever since and it’s just grown from there. I really enjoy creating landscapes, particularly of places that mean a lot to me or I frequently visit. More recently I have also got in to creating digital designs as well as biro drawn studies of people and having been getting quite a few commissions along the way which has been really heart-warming and a productive way to spend my time when I’m not doing university work. I have plans in the near future to do some more Sheffield landscapes so you can follow me online if you’d be interested in seeing more of that!

I did not start in art in the normal way, having decided back in school that I perhaps had some ability but not a special talent. Instead becoming a hairdresser. Hairdressing for many years was not just what I did, but who I was. When I first picked up a paint brush after nearly 45 years it felt good, in fact very good! Working with hair helped to develop a feel for style, colour, form and aesthetics, so I felt sure I could, and would, be able to paint well. So, what could possibly go wrong? With a lot of work, dedication and more than just a touch of obsession it has gone pretty well to date. My landscapes are built from earth, water, air, weather, shadow and light. Combined with strokes, marks, glazes, scratches and scrapes in a wide array of fine art materials, hopefully representative and recognizable but not constrained by detail. When all comes together there is a sense of space and place in a moment in time.

Martin Davis is an ex-fire fighter turned artist. After university he spent more than 30 years in the fire and rescue service, during which time he found painting was a perfect antidote to the stresses of his operational working life. He committed himself fully to his art in 2008 after retirement and has spent the last 13 years finding his distinctive artistic voice. Martin is, by admission, an instinctive artist. Almost wholly self-trained, his only formal qualification is an ArtGCE “O” level from his schooldays. Even so his artwork is bought by private collectors around the world and he has secured gallery space through-out the UK as well as here in his native Derbyshire where he works from his home studio in Swanwick. His most recent successes were being selected to exhibit in the prestigious Harley Gallery Open and ING Discerning Eye exhibitions 2020.

Marianna’s art reflects her passion for nature, with a regular focus on light. Inspiration could come from a woodland on a spring evening, or under the surface of a lake on a winter’s day. As a keen climber, hiker, trail runner and wild swimmer, Marianna gains a lot of inspiration from her adventures. Marianna’s interest in environmental conservation and exploration is not only visible in her artwork, but also in her writing. Following a Master’s degree in journalism, she went on to become a journalist, writing articles for the National Geographic, Wanderlust, HuffPost, Summit, Climate Action Programme, among others. More recently, Marianna’s artwork has begun to explore her interest in the human form and in portraiture. She is always open to exploring whichever direction her vision takes her.

I'm a wildlife illustrator and bear maker based in Sheffield, where I run my little online shop, Wimberry Arts and Crafts. I've spent most of my working life as a zoo keeper, and I have been privileged to work with some of the world's rarest and weirdest creatures. In 2020, I decided to take a step back and focus more on my artwork, but that doesn't mean I spend any less time with animals - one of my great pleasures is walking our dog Eric in the wonderful natural landscapes this area has to offer (occasionally picking a wimberry as we go). My artwork is always very detailed. I mostly work in graphite and ink for my commissioned illustrations and portraits, but I can never just do one thing! I also enjoy using gouache, watercolours and acrylics, and I sew vintage bears just to mix things up. My main drive is to always improve myself and my craft, explore the beauty of the natural world, and to showcase the species in greatest need of our attention and care.

Kirsty Whyatt is a painter who specialises in creating landscapes of Yorkshire. Kirsty is obsessed with capturing light. Chinks of light cutting through the darkness is what drives her to paint. High contrast landscapes with warm glows and cool shadows are the result of this fascination. Creating work for galleries and taking on comissions keeps her busy, alongside her twenty-five year career as an interior stylist for commercial photographers. Kirsty is based in Leeds, West Yorkshire.

Initially trained in photography, Kerry Louise Bennett is a self-taught expressive painter with a passion for colour, texture and pattern. Her work is ‘wonky’, bold and theatrical. Underpinning this is the ongoing development of her unique visual language, with which she creates recognisable, but slightly abstracted or surreal worlds. Informed by a magpie attraction to fabrics, furniture, vessels and plants, as well as a longstanding love of fairy tales and magical realism, Bennett gives familiar shapes a strange musicality. Gesture, texture and hue are all employed to explore the magic of the things around us, and the way these things can weave powerful visual motifs into our personal narratives. Much of her subject matter falls within the ‘still life’ tradition, but her curiosity about her own (and other peoples) relationships with certain colours, objects and sentimental items, gives her art a joyful but off-kilter dimension not always associated with that genre.

Katy is an abstract artist from the seaside of Edinburgh where she lives with her husband and 4 kids. She studied at Central Saint Martins where she specialised in Screen Print. It was here that she discovered her love of using colour to create art and this has continued in to her work today. Katy’s atmospheric paintings are made with layers of abstract, geometric shapes. Depth is built through textured brush work, finished with subtle marks and glazes. Her work draws inspiration from the colours and lines of the dramatic Scottish coastline.

I am a Bulgarian creative designer / artist based in Sheffield, UK. My desire to create started at a young age and brought me into the world of interior and graphic design. However, visual art such as drawing, painting and photography always stayed a passion of mine and just recently I decided to start showcasing my work on instagram and other platforms. I draw and paint mainly character-driven pieces with particular focus on ambiguous and raw expressions that hint emotions such as desire, hope and melancholy. I intend to represent these feelings but stay away from showing the story of the character. The viewers build the narrative themselves. In this way, the painting or drawing is only the first sentence of the story, the protagonist, the feeling, the question. And I, I am the quiet mediator between a face and the viewer. I subconsciously pack and paint raw feelings and give the viewer the opportunity to feel and wonder. Therefore, the artwork is merely about the character but the feelings it stirs. My work has always been inspired by graphic design’s bold colours and photography’s images - frozen forever but every time you look at them - different. My process involves a lot of layering and/or sculpting mostly rendered faces.

Hi I’m Holly! I’m a team of one and handmade all my artwork myself. I create textured abstract paintings and a variety of fiber arts like punch needling to create home decor items such as mirrors. I make colourful art for funky people.

After dedicating 25 years of teaching art in the community Emily was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. This experience reawakened her passion for painting and she now creates unique and uplifting art whilst supporting local and national charities. Emily will paint your very own unique painting in a range of sizes. She will discuss with you, your ideas, colours, and vision for your very own personal and unique painting. Emily welcomes you into her studio in North Shields where you can browse her original paintings and extensive gift range. She aims to provide affordable and accessible art to suit every price bracket. Emily’s range of art includes greeting cards, prints, jigsaws, hand-finished mounted tiles, gift boxes and much more.

I am an artist based in Sheffield. My principle preoccupation is with the post industrial urban landscape of this city. I paint what I like but I have taken on many commissions for people who like the way I paint. My paintings are underpinned by a delight in the marriage of nature, light and the built environment.

The ‘Chartless’ brand encompasses works of escapism and fantasy via paintings, drawings and fibre artworks. For the brand’s owner, Charlie Allen (formally educated in Drawing at Bristol School of Art & Design), there is nothing more squashing than committing to a singular theme or medium. After their education, Charlie recognised their disinterest in a rigid and repetitive creative process. Instead, a passion for creating worlds and spaces in styles and mediums which honour authenticity in the moment. Best known for their 2021 painting, ‘I’ll Be, Only Me’ (50x50cm), an empty kitchen cast in warm summer sun, Chartless has an ability to take you to abandoned intimate spaces and forces you to question your place in the imagery. Charlie creates a diverse range of artwork for Chartless. 2021 saw vibrant wool paintings and pop art pieces- a testament to their love of landscapes- while 2020 unearthed graphite portraits and painterly portrait paintings to tell another story of vulnerability and disconnection. With Chartless, Charlie continues to create a range of artwork in Devon. On a constant quest to express an mind flooded with imagery, Chartless delivers the creation of artwork with no rules, charts and boundaries.

In Charlotte’s gallery you will find watercolour landscapes, acrylic abstracts, oil paintings and more! Charlotte’s love for colour and the feelings of happiness and pure joy it can evoke shines through in her paintings. Born and bred in Leeds, Yorkshire, the local scenery and vivid pops of colour in nature have long inspired Charlotte’s work…bright, bold and beautiful. Charlotte is predominantly a self taught, mixed media artist. Her work has evolved through experimenting with different mediums and colour pallets, following intuition and refining techniques. All her paintings are created in her home studio in Leeds, you can see ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘work in progress’ pictures on her social media.

Ashley is a freelance painter from Huddersfield. These days he resides in in South Manchester with his partner. He hails from an artistic family with his paternal grandmother being a painter, his father a commercial artist and his younger brother an animation specialist. He holds an art degree from the University of Liverpool and is a teacher by trade. He began painting seriously at the age of 13 attending watercolour classes on a Saturday morning. Since then, he has been involved in local exhibitions, selling work commercially and providing commissions for private and commercial clients. With his art, Ashley has always been captivated by maps and the changing face of the planet, exploring both rural and urban landscapes. Inspiration is sought particularly from the industrial heritage buildings of the North of England, as well as rural scenes. His work showcases the themes of nature, civic pride, as well as transient and settled communities. He opts for ethereal colours to captivate and uplift viewers, inviting them to celebrate the natural and man-made scenes which surround us through art. Cundall describes himself as an abstract realist, who also fosters Fauvist and occasionally Pop Art. Originals, commissions and prints are available on request.

A 25 year old languages graduate, Amy has spent time in various beautiful places around the world, particularly in Europe, and is always left feeling hugely inspired to recreate them on a canvas. After graduating university in 2019 with a degree in Spanish and Italian, she decided to devote more time towards this passion, and found that painting throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020/2021 provided a certain level of escapism whilst travelling was not an option. Amy now completes commissions in both watercolour and acrylic paint, and aims to become a full time artist in the future. In her spare time she enjoys socialising, travelling and spending time with family.

Embroidery artist Amy Davies focuses on creating beautiful tactile pieces of artwork. Based in Manchester with a BA degree in Interactive Arts, her artwork primarily focuses on exploring colour and texture. A self taught Embroiderist, Amy combines hand embroidery, bead work and paint to create unique, stunning pieces of wall art. Each piece is sewn completely by hand, with hours dedicated to creating these often abstract, tactile pieces. Her paintings often form a complimentary component to her embroidery, soft and calm, evoking a sense of meditative tranquility. Founding her own brand ‘Circle&Stitch’ in 2019. Amy has slowly built up a small business selling her artwork, along with drawings and jewellery. Artwork is currently for sale via her online Etsy store and her creative progress can be followed on her Instagram account. Commissions welcome.

Aaron Lock is a mixed media artist who creates figurative expressionist images focusing on themes such as identity, consciousness and the human condition.