Artists to Know: 10 LGBTQ+ Artists to Check Out

Watching Disney movies as a child eventually led London-based artist Hayden Williams to the path of fashion illustration as a teen and adult. A mix of inspiration growing up, including “pop culture, cartoons, video game characters, music videos, fashion editorials in magazines and also fashion dolls such as Barbie and Bratz” resulted in his now stylized fashion illustrations of celebrities. Often leaning into hyper femininity and glamor, he nods to both old Hollywood glam and modern fashion styles.

Growing up with a close relationship to the natural world, Rose Unfolding uses art as a way to sort through her emotions and experiences tied to the environment. Through her lens as a regenerative farmer, the Bellingham, WA artist creates imagery as a “new modality of iconography derived from Earth based practices”. With layers of watercolor, ink cross hatching, and white outlines, she infuses each creation with intricate meaning and symbolism.

Inspired by joy and happiness, Chicago-based artist Dan Nelson claims that creating art has always been a part of who he is. While he has developed his own style of painting, he feels like his art evokes a little bit of “David Hockney and Norman Rockwell with a dash of the old Dick and Jane Illustrations”. His own vibrant spin on these legendary artists has led him to painting delightful scenes of people and their pets.

Based in Lisbon, Portugal, Gilliard Bressan became a photographer out of the desire to “escape to another world”. With his travels awakening his artistic vision over the years, he now loves to stroll around the city to find constant inspiration through his lens. Capturing the incredible sights seen through his unique eyes, his mix of street photography, travel, and architecture pulls you into incredible settings.

Drawn to the artists of the bohemian lifestyle in Paris around 1900, as well as the German Expressionists and Dadaism, Brain Wave Cult grew up creating comics and depicting TV personalities. Joining the Post-Punk movement as a teen, they worked with fashion and jewelry design in London and Berlin, while later on moving to creating figurative paintings and digital art. Now living in Italy, Brain Wave Cult hones in on poetic portraits that embrace artificial intelligence.

Based in Sacramento, California, CrumbsAndGubs is inspired by all things spooky…and “also by rats”. Incorporating horror themes into scenes with ghosts, hauntingly terrifying portraits, and dark themes that make you look twice, her creations are unsettling yet intriguing. Whether it’s a woman’s face being pulled apart or vacant white eyes with tears streaming down, she pulls viewers into dark dreams.

Heavily involved in art as a child, Aaron Allen eventually reignited his passion for painting where he not only conveys his experiences but also “gives viewers a sense of power and emotion”. Not being subjugated to one style, his creativity has spanned portrait and figurative painting with a mix of abstraction and surrealism. By honing his craft with dedication, his career has led him to being spotlighted by the Phoenix Art Museum as an emerging artist, a solo interdisciplinary show at Arizona State University, and current representation by Framed Gallery in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Fascinated by faces, Ottawa, Canada-based artist Kristin Fardy loves to make portraiture fun, humorous, and unexpected. Inspired by the idea of taking “recognizable faces from pop culture and adding an unexpected twist”, she enjoys making herself and her viewers laugh at her art combinations. With her vibrant, pop-art influenced portraits being a version of stylized realism, each creation results in an eye-catching and non-traditional piece of artwork in the world of portrait painting.

A fashion designer and illustrator, Marcio Alek’s artistic background stems from graduating in fashion stylism from Studio Berçot de Paris, attending Fashion History at the Cartier Foundation, going to Art History at the Louvre School, and working on big names in fashion, such as Maison John Galliano, Bruno Pieters and Robert Normand. Believing in kindness, diversity, hope, and the restorative power of art, he immerses his portraiture with his fashion expertise, along with surreal elements.

Based in Sardinia, Italy, Aurora Consolo, the self taught artist behind AtelierConsolo, has a huge love for fashion and sketching. Her love shines through her collection of art featuring famous icons in recognizable outfits, drawings of designer purses, and beautifully glam makeup looks. Her dedication and passion for art has led her to building a name for herself, with her work being used by The Kardashian Family, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, and many more.