If one’s trying to get a new perspective in life or wants to be inspired, there is no better way than to look at art and follow artists who can move the viewer to think a little differently. These five artists have found distinct ways of viewing the world and have spent their lives perfecting their individual crafts, allowing the audience to benefit from it.
Amoako Boafo
Amoako Boafo, a Ghana-born Austrian artist, has captivated the art world by producing stunning, large-scale portraits of Black characters, such as White Hat White Shades (2019). Boafo encourages viewers to focus on diversity, with portraits being distinguished by their vibrant colors and patterns, which honor Boafo’s subjects. Boafo says that “the primary idea of my practice is representation, documenting, celebrating and showing new ways to approach Blackness.”
Jadé Fadojutimi
Jade Fadojutimi traveled to Japan after graduating from The Slade School of Fine art in London and used to return five to six times a year to sketch, expressing an enduring interest in anime and Japanese landscapes. Jadé’s paintings explore a complex emotional terrain, providing insight into the artist’s search for identity and self-knowledge. The paintings express feelings that are near impossible to convey through words and have made Jadé the youngest artist to be included in the permanent collection of the Tate Museum, London.
Caitlin Teal Price
Caitlin Teal Price grew up in Washington DC and holds a master’s from the Yale School of Art. Price uses photography and a unique technique of etching with an x-acto blade as the main modes of working. Caitlin’s work revolves around people, landscapes, and abstraction, and through various lighting techniques, most recently showcased in the artist’s collection of Scratch Drawings, Caitlin not only manages to grab the viewer’s attention but also holds it there and encourages the audience to think just a little deeper.
Connect with this great artist by visiting the official website caitlintealprice.com.
Sara Erenthal
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sara Erenthal is a self-taught artist. The artist paints signature red-lipped self-portraits on anything from cardboard boxes to garbage cans, letting the audience know whose work it is without even having to ask. Sara’s work has been featured in international street art festivals and in the New York Times as well. Erenthal’s work is amusing and offers comfort, with words and images being a means of solace for those who abide by fright and uncertainty.
Joel Mesler
Joel Mesler was born and raised in Los Angeles and spends a great amount of time recollecting all his childhood memories and experiences to make paintings. As Joel says, “the paintings come out of the memories of nights my parents would go out for the evening. They would usually tuck me into my bed and kiss me goodnight. Their parting words to me, ‘Honey, you deserve great things, and ‘The world is yours,’”. Joel’s figures encapsulate both general and unique qualities, forming a deep connection between the artist and viewer.
There are so many artists out there, but these five artists, in particular, constantly put out collections that are more mesmerizing and inspiring than their previous ones and keep us coming back for more.