Welcome to a celebration of contemporary women artists! As we enter the third decade of the 21st century, it is important to recognize and honor the remarkable contributions of women to the art world. From vibrant mixed-media works to stunning oil paintings, these artists are making waves with their fresh perspectives, unique voices, and undeniable talent.
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the need to amplify the voices and perspectives of women artists. These women have faced countless obstacles throughout history, from being excluded from formal art education to being overlooked for gallery shows and critical acclaim. However, they have persisted, and their perseverance and talent are finally being recognized.
The contemporary art world is bursting with talent and innovation. Women artists are using their art to explore and challenge social norms, cultural expectations, and personal experiences. They are creating beautiful, thought-provoking, and inspiring works that reflect their unique perspectives and experiences.
In addition to their artistic achievements, these women are also trailblazers and role models. They are inspiring the next generation of artists and challenging the status quo in the art world. Through their art and advocacy, they are making the art world a more inclusive and diverse space.
So let's raise a glass to these incredible women and their incredible art! On this page, we introduce some of the women artists we know. Let's celebrate their creativity, resilience, and brilliance!
Mary Cornish
With my style of painting, my subject matter may vary from beautiful horses to the visual grotesqueness of a California Condor. Yet I have always strived to capture the inexplicable "magic" that permeates the essence of the subject. That "intangible something" fascinates me. In my artwork, I attempt to portray that feeling, as well as the physical attributes and personality of the subject, through paint. I love creating the visual effect of a three-dimensional image on a two-dimensional surface.” After a disabling horseback riding accident and open heart surgery with complications, she returned to school, receiving her degrees in Visual Communication and Graphic Design from Northwest College of Art. She began painting professionally in 1992.
Learn more about Mary Cornish
Tammy Gilchrest
Tammy Gilchrest graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler but didn't start to paint until 2014. Shortly after, she had numerous exhibitions, including two solo exhibitions in 2019 at The Cove, McKinney, TX, and in 2020 at the McKinney Artist Studio Tour. She received Second Place in Oils in 2019 at The Art Club of McKinney Member Show and press in the March 2018 issue of Southwest Art Magazine.
Learn more about Tammy Gilchrest.
Deb Lynch
I live "At the Corner of Heaven and Earth" in Maui—full of beauty, wonder, and danger. I am blessed! It all surrounds me, from quiet moments of fragrant flowers and gentle people to glorious skies and thundering waves. But there is another side to the ocean: for all the power and beauty, it has danger too. The ocean is like us—it is deeper than it appears and offers more than we expect. Beauty and danger. Reality and imagination. This is why I paint.
Learn more about Deb Lynch
Gayle Madeira
An internationally recognized professional artist and dancer who grew up on a farm in Northern Virginia, Gayle Madeira explores her fascination with the physical body through both media. As a painter, she shows exceptional attention to detail and applies techniques that distinguish her work. Her black and white charcoal portraits, like those featured in the film “Prayer to a Vengeful God,” possess both painterly and graphic qualities. Madeira started working in oil paint in 2010. She is also known for her watercolor animal portraits, which she creates using a unique dry-brush technique. Madeira’s work has been exhibited extensively in New York City and throughout the United States.
Learn more about Gayle Gibbons Madeira
Christina Mastrangelo
Christina Grace Mastrangelo grew up in Western Massachusetts. She graduated in Studio Art through the Honors College at James Madison University and studied abroad at the British Institute in Florence, Italy. Immediately following graduation, she returned to Florence to attend the Angel Academy of Art, graduating in 2009. An internationally recognized artist, Christina has shown at The European Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona and the Villa Bardini in Florence. She has had two solo shows in Florence and one at the D'Amour Museum of Fine Art in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her most recent awards were from the Art Renewal Center, Portrait Society of America, Oil Painters of America, and the Salmagundi Club.
Learn more about Christina Grace Mastrangelo
Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings
Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings won ‘The Best of Portrait’ in the 2022 Portrait Society of Canada competition, displayed two artworks in the Ghost Image exhibit at the Salmagundi Club, and was featured in a group exhibit at the Dacia Gallery in New York City. Alexandrea was selected to be published in the book “Masterpieces” by The Guide Artists 2022. She was a Finalist in the 2021 Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition. She won the Gold Medal at The Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery in the spring of 2019. She also received the Bronze Medal from The Society of Canadian Artists at The Paper Mill Gallery in Toronto in 2019. She was named a Finalist in the 13th International ARC Salon Competition (2017). In addition, she was a double finalist in December 2017 in the Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition.
Learn more about Alexandrea Nicholas-Jennings
Teresa Oaxaca
Teresa Oaxaca is an American-born artist based in Washington, D.C. She is a full-time painter whose works can be seen in collections and galleries throughout the U.S. and internationally. Her talent has been recognized and rewarded by museums and institutions such as the American Museum of the Cowboy, The former Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Art Renewal Center, The Elisabeth Greenshields Foundation, the Posey Foundation, and The Portrait Society of America and the Museu Europeu D’Art Modern in Barcelona. Her training includes studies at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence Academy, an apprenticeship with Odd Nerdrum, and the Art League of Alexandria, VA, where she trained with Robert Liberace and Paul Lucchesi. Currently, she teaches workshops around the United States and in Europe.
Learn more about Teresa Oaxaca
Cynthia Pepper
Cynthia Pepper has been active in multiple aspects of the performing arts world for several decades. She began her career early and performed internationally with the Utah-based Virginia Tanner Children’s Dance Theatre at the White House for President Richard Nixon, with Bella Lewitzky Dance Company at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, Loretta Livingston & Dancers as an original company member, with The Utah Opera Company as a slave in “Aida” and Donald Byrd Dance.
Learn more about Cynthia Pepper
Linda Schroeter
Allegory and symbolism in the paintings of the Dutch masters inspire my work with their sense of mystery and magical communication. For many years I have explored and practiced traditional painting techniques, utilizing light manipulation through paint layers and pushing form and elements to create the sense of three-dimensional space. By using the power of the visual image to evoke emotions and the elements of surprise, I want to appeal to the viewer’s intellect and one’s own narrative.
Learn more about Linda Schroeter
Christina Steele
When my parents asked what I wanted to be growing up, it was the same three things for years. As a child born in 1985, all I could imagine was becoming an artist, a teacher, and a magical pony. I happily live out two of those three life goals as an adult. My art students often gift me pony drawings and 80’s toys to compensate for the third goal. My early art training began at my grandmother’s kitchen table, pouring over her stack of 1940s Commercial Design course books by the Art Institute of America. This continued from when I could hold a pencil until graduating high school. My Northwest Colorado childhood had been riddled with trauma and full of the outdoors, animals, adventuring, hunting, athletics, and art. That inspiration never left me as I went on to earn my BFA from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. Drawing and oil paintings became my primary means of expression. I’ve always loved creating portraits and working with the figure. Beyond the physical features, I strive to give others a glimpse of the greatness inside the persons I have the privilege of painting. I create portraits of athletes at my MMA gym and others in the MMA/UFC community. These men and women inspire me in my training and as an artist. They continually display character, passion, and relentlessness when faced with challenges.
Learn more about Christina Steele
Veronica Winters
Veronica Winters began painting stories in portraits and figures to process her emotions. My art reflected my search for Self and the lack of belonging. “I spent years in an internal search for validation or reasons to live, finding it hard to connect to anyone or anything that would give me meaning. I had a few breaking points that changed my understanding of reality. Finding a unique connection to yourself is vital to arrive at a deep state of peace and balance. I want to bring joy, peace, and inspiration to your heart. I wish to create a more loving world without violence, judgment, and fear in my art.”
Learn more about Veronica Winters
Elizabeth Zanzinger
Elizabeth Zanzinger is an award-winning painter with an enthusiastic international following. She developed her artistic voice during her time at the Aristides Atelier and Gage Academy of Fine Art in Seattle. Elizabeth finished her education with a fellowship award (Grand Prize, 2nd Annual Utrecht Art Competition) at the Grand Central Academy, New York City, in 2012. Since then, she has completed a number of commissioned portraits of accomplished individuals and served as a faculty member for the Portrait Society of America Conference in Washington, DC. She has shown her work nationally and is also in the collection Museu Europeu d'Art Modern in Barcelona, Spain. Elizabeth's paintings echo the traditional skills gained from disciplined classical training, although the work often celebrates non-traditional subjects.
Learn more about Elizabeth Zanzinger
Valeh Levy
Dr. Valeh Levy, MD, is a specialist in diagnostic radiology and an artist member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA). In 2021, she participated in the group exhibition Endless Summer at Arts on Douglas, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, featuring the work of 30 Florida artists, each presenting their interpretations of summer ideals, memories, experiences, and sensations in unique and creative ways. That same year, she was featured in Black and White (With A Splash of Color) art exhibit at The Gallery of the Artists' Workshop on Canal.