Mixed media artist Lauren Brevner paints eclectic and fantastic portraits of women ornamented with a collage of Japanese motifs. Born of mixed heritage in Vancouver, she recently moved to Osaka to get in touch with her Japanese ancestry. Life in Japan has had a major influence on the self taught artist since. Not long after her move in 2009, she apprenticed under Japanese fashion designer Sin Nakayamal. The inspiration of his luxurious prints resonates in the the way Brevner dresses her subjects. She mainly paints using oils and acrylics on wood, decorated with a variety of traditional materials such as Japanese gold leaf, chiyogami, yuzen, and washi paper. Gold leafing is of particular interest to the artist for its long and illustrious history in Japan. Her style combines elements of 19th century Japanese art, Art Nouveau and Abstract art with detailed realism in her subject’s fair features against bold, sparkling textile patterns. Having a love for grandeur and attention to the elaboration of design, Brevner conveys the sensuality of her subjects with elegance.
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Sarah Ball's oil paintings, subtle in their complexity, are intended for the viewer to encounter the portrait's subject intimately. The practice of physiognomy, or judging the character of a person just from their facial features or expressions, has long been a subject of fascination for the artist. In efforts like her current Anima Mundi show "Themself," she culls her subjects from historic photographic archives, social media, and beyond. "These source images become a starting point for a methodical process of understanding, assumption and translation, where the aesthetic ‘mask' and what lies beneath become the focus of engagement,” the gallery says.
Born in Canada and based in Manhattan, 
San Francisco based artist 