We love Instagram for many reasons (exhibit A: adorable pups), but especially because it brings incredible visual art to our fingertips. In fact, when looking for makers to collaborate with, Instagram is often our first stop. And as we’re on a painting kick around here, it’s a great time to highlight 20 of our favorite painters on Instagram. Follow these majorly talented artists to bring more beauty into your feed.
1. @clareelsaesser: Clare Elsaesser uses her Instagram to give sneak peeks of her works in progress. Check out her profile for emotional and imaginative portraits.
2. @_brittbass: Britt Bass Turner, one of our 30 Makers and Shakers Under 30, is undoubtedly talented. And lucky for us, her paintings have been transformed into phone cases, journals, wallpaper, clutches and tons of other swag that we can’t wait to scoop up.
3. @jane_mount: If nothing else, it’s worth it to follow Jane Mount just for her nostalgic #idealbookshelf series. Lucky for us, she’s made these into prints and postcards, too.
4. @1canoe2: Confession: This author has a major soft spot for Carrie Shryock’s work. While her company, One Canoe Two, is known for letterpress prints, it’s Carrie’s consistently breathtaking landscape paintings — painted in a Moleskine, no less — that steal the show.
5. @alishlylishy: You can count on *every* post by Alisha Johns to be bright, fun and playful.
6. @wendymac: Check out Wendy MacNaughton’s feed for endless watercolor portraits and her artistic interpretation of everyday life.
7. @gordon_harrison_hull: Meet Gordon Harrison Hull, a creative director, photographer, musician, copywriter, film director *and* painter. Peek at his feed for explosive colored pencil and paint pieces and to see what crazy stuff he’s up to these days.
8. @zioziegler: AKA the current king of San Francisco street art *and* the genius behind Van’s latest line. To say that he’s killing it would be an understatement.
9. @paulferney: If you’re looking for romantic portraits and landscapes, then following Paul Ferney is a must. And we’re not just saying that because he painted our creative team’s portraits :)
10. @karenbarbourwrks: This feed is chock-full of powerful ink portraits, as well as moving pieces in other mediums. We’re especially entranced with the piece above entitled “Daisy.”
11. @vicky_od: This Russian illustrator is a downright watercolor master, with a special talent for painting feathers and flowers. Her constantly-‘grammed cat is pretty cute, too :)
12. @samanthajhahn: This gal’s moody portraits and fashion illustrations have us swooning. Evidently they have the team at Marc Jacobs swooning too — they just featured one of her paintings on their site.
13. @myfriendcourt: We can thank Courtney for our current fixation with painting — her Intro to Acrylic Painting e-class has everyone talking here at Brit HQ.
14. @westkim: Both a muralist and a canvas painter, Kim West (no, not that Kim West!) has a knack for painting moving, semi-abstract nature scenes on both a small and large scale.
15. @alexameadeart: Get this: Alexa Meade actually paints directly onto people instead of canvas. The result is surreal and entrancing, every time.
16. @kindahkhalidy: We’re not sure what we love more, Kindah Khalidy’s playful paintings or her adventurous work with hand-painted and confetti-loaded textiles.
17. @emily_jeffords: This painter has a feed full of the dreamiest landscapes and touching vignettes of her life.
18. @moniiqwa: With clients like the New York Times, Rookie Mag and Urban Outfitters, you can guess that illustrator Monica Ramos has significant talent. Her Instagram offers a behind-the-scenes look at her works in progress, as well as sweet snippets of her life.
19. @kristintexeira: We can’t get enough of this adorable painter’s geometric prints and thoughtful color combinations.
20. @parimastudio: Patricia Vargas of Parima Studio may be most well-known for her recent line of pillows for Anthropologie. What we love about her Instagram is that she highlights the beauty of her materials and tools as much as the final paintings themselves.
Who’s your favorite painter on Instagram? Let us know in the comments below!
