In today's technologically-apt world, talented artists must not only build their art, but they must also focus on expressing their artwork via available online avenues.

Fortunately, through social media platforms such as Instagram, artists can attract a large audience to whom they can showcase their art. Instagram, a platform with over 1 billion monthly users offers artists a viable alternative to the exclusive gallery system.

It provides artists on Instagram with an opportunity to sell their work and take on the role of an art dealer whilst bypassing the traditional gallery system.

This article presents artists who successfully use Instagram as a marketing tool. They get their art seen by the online world whilst attracting a massive following on Instagram.

Let's get started.

En Iwamura

a Japanese artist, is well known for his alluring ceramic creations. His ceramic figures are nothing but quirky characters with Japanese Manga influences. En Iwamura studied arts in the US but has had his work as a sculptor sell all over the world. Iwamura believes in the philosophy that a Manga-like ceramic figure has the potential of being considered an international language. He has a following of over 58,000 people on Instagram, where he shares his art. His followers have, over time, appreciated Iwamura for displaying not only images of his ceramic creations but also the process involved in making them.

Zaria Forman

is a New York-based artist, currently working and residing in Brooklyn. Zaria explores the remote parts of the world where she observes and captures images of diverse climatic changes. She then documents these climatic changes in pastel drawings. She has been on several missions with NASA, where she explored Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic.

This passionate painter shares her pastel drawings with the rest of the world through her Instagram page. Undoubtedly, her unique art has seen her get a following of over 239,000 people. She is one of Instagram artists with the highest following.

Her works have also been featured in various publications, including the National Geographic Proof Blog and New York Times T Magazine.

Nicholas Wilton

is a professional painter based in Northern California. His gallery reference an inspiration of botanical patterns, forms, and abstract designs. Wilton views every piece of his painting as a visual poem that is informed by personal experiences and nature. Gaining a following of a thousand people on Instagram is not easy.

Nicholas Wilton, however, has managed to get an audience of over 35,000 people. Instagram is where he shares his nature-inspired art and painting process. Wilton is also the founder of classes and workshops at ArtLife Creativity.

He is also the mind behind the Creative Visionary Mentoring Program, where artists are coached on creativity, entrepreneurship, and art.

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Lisa Congdon

is a renowned artist, best known for her hand lettering and colourful drawings.

She is also an author, illustrator collector, and activist. Some of the books Lisa has authored include A Collection A Day, Fortune Favours the Brave and The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist. Lisa is based in Oregon from where she works for clients from all over the world, including Harvard University, Facebook, and Crate and Barrel.

Lisa also expresses her skills and artwork on Instagram, where she has an audience of over 433,000 people. She is also involved in teaching online courses through platforms such as Creativelive, Skillshare, and Creativebug.

Phillippe Halaburda

is a French-born artist well known for his figurative and abstract paintings.

His paintings are unique as they are based on the randomness of emotion to express abstract visuals. Phillippe creates map compositions that reveal emotional tensions, feelings, and relationships. His paintings, digital works, and photos are nothing but algorithms and codes that address a holistic mental architecture. Phillippe is currently based in New York City, where he runs his art business. Phillippe has an Instagram following of over 26,000 people.

He regularly displays images, mirages, and photos of his artwork on Instagram. Instagram tags are a great way to gain a greater following, and Phillippe has mastered the art.

Jens Stark

is an award-winning visual and media artist based in Los Angeles.

The Florida-born artist has her interests based on conceptualising visual systems to mimic evolution, sacred geometries, topographies, plant growth, and fractals. Stark's art revolves around the use of paint, metal, wood, and paper.

Her use of vivid colors, designs, and patterns result in cloud-like, molecular, and organic structures that depict the natural world. Stark has a following of over 176,000 people on Instagram.

She also works with several other artists whom she mentions and tags along on her posts. Tags and mentions have also seen her attract more followers.

Erik Minter

is a New Jersey-based painter whose paintings address the tension between repulsion and beauty established at the heart of human conditions.

Having worked in commercial design, Erik has been able to create new digital designs. He also translates his physical paintings into digital originals. His art has been showcased in private collections, boutique hotels, and public galleries.

Minter has, over time, developed his brand in a dynamic way, creating extraordinary opportunities for him.

He has, for instance, created sculptures and murals for various artists. Minter has also made visual merchandise designs for retailers. His contemporary and surreal paintings have seen him gain a following of over 24,000 people on Instagram.

Gary Komarin

was born in New York City, where his journey of creating contemporary painterly abstraction started. To create a unique brand for himself, Komarin avoids the traditional painting materials and media.

He deliberately uses a latex hybrid mix of paint and colours. The resulting art appears to be nothing usual but does not go without recognition.

He has often been termed as the painter of painters due to the uniqueness and authenticity of his work. Komarin is currently based in Litchfield County Connecticut, where he runs his artistic works. On Instagram, Komarin has a following of over 79,000 people. He refers to himself as a risk-taker in his field of artistry.

Elizabeth Chapman

, a Venezuelan-born artist, is an abstract expressionist who attributes his artwork to her Spanish heritage.

Elizabeth is known for her people, abstracts, and floral paintings, which are inspired by her memories, experiences, and sometimes music.

She resigned from being an art teacher to a full-time artist. Elizabeth is currently based in Ozarks, Missouri, where she runs an art studio.

Today, Elizabeth has managed to sell over 800 paintings through local venues and online platforms. There is no doubt Instagram has had some contributions to her success as she has a following of over 36,000 people. Elizabeth uses Instagram to display her artwork for sales descriptively.

Noemi Ibarz

is an engraving specialist who uses engraving techniques to create her paintings. Her attractive paintings are not devoid of vibrant colours and organic lines.

Most of these paintings are inspired by nature, which is why she is known to be an authentic botanical painter. The Lleida-born artist designs her paintings using Posca Markers and acrylic paint.

She creates paintings every day, an art she terms as therapy for her soul. Her pieces of original artwork, rugs, and prints are displayed on Instagram for sale. Ibarz has a following of over 55,000 people who regularly interact with her art. Ibarz currently resides in Canet de Mar, Catalonia.

George Hall

is one of the most talented artists displaying their artwork on Instagram. George has a following of over 63,000 people who interact with his limited-edition prints and signature acrylic paintings. He attracts people to his Instagram page by posting his work regularly as well as using hashtags that are relevant to his page. George photographs his paintings, after which he fits them in images of particular interiors.

Being a full-time artist now, George's artwork has become a brand that promotes him as an authentic illustrator, print-maker, and painter. He is currently based in Kings Cross, Sydney, where he has lived for years.

Andrea Soos

is popular for her creative combination of the gestural application of colour, patterning, and mark-making to create playful abstractions.

Soos' art practice uses intuitive and tactful brushstrokes. Her paintings are inspired by song lyrics and music. Soos' audience easily connects to the entry points of her visual paints. Her over 85,000 followers on Instagram acknowledge her paintings as authentic and amazingly stunning.

Soos is known for regularly posting photos and images of her work on Instagram following by relevant hashtags and mentions. Andrea Soos is currently based in Victoria, British Columbia.

Robert Szot

is a New York-based self-taught artist who is well known for his abstract oil-on-panel and oil-on-canvas paintings. His paintings come with expressive lines, hints of human figures and architecture, personal dialogue, and blocks of colours that overlap each other.

Szot's artwork has been exhibited in diverse galleries in the US, including Texas and Los Angeles. Not only has his work been collected in America, but it can also be found abroad, including London.

Szot's paintings have also been featured in corporate collections, such as Credit Suisse. He also expresses his artwork on Instagram, where he has a following of over 62,000 people.

Jean Baptiste Besancon

is a visual artist based in Bordeaux, France. His artistic identity is found in abstract painting. Jean Baptiste has become popular in Bordeaux, where he organises exhibitions for his artwork.

Jean Baptiste's paintings are an experiment of diverse techniques and surfaces that express an emotion that is in him.

He is inspired by the creative energy of artists such as Pierre Soulages and Jackson Pollock. For Jean Baptiste, paintings are poetry that communicates the inspiration in him. In addition to using galleries to display his artwork, Jean Baptiste uses Instagram to express his skills to the online audience. He has a following of over 52,000 people.

William LaChance

is one of the few American-based Instagram artists that have their artwork displayed in German galleries. His paintings are associations of dislodged colours and forms that are replicated from nature, art history, fashion, and graphic design.

These paintings come in diverse inspirations and hierarchies, including narrative expressions, abstract identity, material exploration, and formal space.

Recently, the Architectural Digest Magazine pronounced one of William's murals as the best-patterned basketball pitch in the globe. Over the years, William has had his work displayed in exhibitions, including BEERS, London and the Art Expo Chicago.

He also expresses his artwork on Instagram, where he has an audience of over 74,000 followers.

Robin Olsen

is a contemporary abstract artist based in Portland, Oregon.

Her paintings are inspired by her daily experiences from which she seeks to create surreal patterns. Her art is often designed to depict what nature displays.

For example, Olsen can have her pictures reveal a tangle of trees, a calm expanse of the sky, or the impact of rain on a pavement. Sometimes she will capture an emotion, such as the elevation of joy that comes with playing a favourite song.

Olsen's artwork is displayed in magazines, shows, books, and online platforms.
On Instagram, for example, Olsen expresses curated pieces of her paintings.
She also tags and mentions individuals that have influenced her career. This has seen Olsen gain popularity for up to over 16,000 followers.

Dorothy Ganek

was born in Greece, where she gathered plenty of inspirations that influenced her artistic life. Dorothy is well known for her contemporary abstract style of designing paintings.

She terms her paintings as mysterious and surreal as her passion drives her to create. Dorothy's creativity has seen her also venture into other diverse forms of artistry, including designing 3D objects, painting, bookmaking, and silversmithing.

Exploring her artwork will also see viewers land on reflections of today's environment. For Dorothy, online platforms are not just a place for business. She considers these platforms as avenues for motivation. She currently feeds an audience of over 45,000 followers on Instagram with pieces of her work.

Pat Butynski

is an award-winning and art teacher based in New York City.

Her paintings are created out of the philosophy 'Paint for Love'. Pat's artwork is inspired by life experiences, song lyrics, and nature. Due to her authentic pieces of artwork, Pat has featured in venues such as The New Jersey Centre for Visual Arts and The North East Watercolour Society in Kent. Her popularity does not stop in galleries and shows.

She also expresses her pieces of art on YouTube and Instagram. On Instagram, Pat has a following of over 72,000 people. She creates hashtags and mentions that are relevant to her work to attract more followers.

Monica Perez

This Uruguayan born painter uses her work to express emotional impulses.

She shows her creativity and personal struggles through her paintings, which have captured the attention of many fans on Instagram. Her creative works is a little different, but it sure does express her emotions on canvas.

According to the painter, each painting tells a story of her struggles, and it is liberating to put all the emotions on canvas for the world to see. is a trained graphic designer and currently focuses on creating beautiful pieces of art that harmonize creativity and impulsive emotions.

Brigitte D'Annibale

is a talented artist that has received quite a massive following on Instagram.

Her Studio, Untitled Arts, based in Los Angeles with a branch in Kauai, is the home of multidisciplinary and innovative creations. The artist has an architecture and design background, which has played a critical role in shaping her painting career.

She has partnered with Danny Errico of deArtLab, an entrepreneur, and friend, in producing creative artworks and a soon to be launched studio in California.

Renee Mendler

passion for color and the beauty of nature is the reason behind her beautiful paintings. She gets her inspiration from nature and her emotional response to color and design. Her radiant original artworks are a unique combination of passion, and a self-taught painting process, that has become better in time.

Renee Mendler is an abstract painter who bases her artwork on acrylics, resin, and mixed media. She is currently based in New York, where she paints from her home studio.

Her Instagram page has been a useful tool in showcasing her colourful painting techniques that express her emotions.

Allison B. Cooke

With years of experience in drawing and painting, was previously a teacher before becoming a full time painter based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She now creates unique pieces of art in cold wax medium. Her passion is now on aged surfaces that she says reveal the passage of time. She gets her inspiration from old walls and fading frescoes to create unique abstract paintings.

This artist has been a great supporter of the renaissance painting techniques that she uses and teaches in her short painting summer courses. Instagram is not the only avenue Allison uses to showcase her work; she has, over the years, participated in art gallery exhibitions, in different parts of the world. This has given her a huge audience and an increased number of fans.

Carola Kastman

Based in Stockholm, Sweden, is one of the most brilliant young artists that has a good following of over 68 thousand followers on Instagram.

Art enthusiasts from different parts of the world are constantly amazed by her incredible art pieces which she regularly uploads on her Instagram page.

Her paintings are not only innovative, but they are also full of life and energy.
Her passion for paintings has been a continuous process of experiments and learning of new painting techniques that she has applied in many of her artworks.

She currently owns a studio shop where she spends most of her time painting and exploring her talent. She is also an interior designer.

Janet Skates Art

J is a talented painter, who is passionate about colours.

She is an abstract, mixed-media, and figurative artist, whose inspiration comes from flowers, music, and plants.

She uses coloured paintings to express emotions on canvas.

The US-based painter not only uses her Instagram to showcase her talent, but she also sells her paintings through the page. She also offers online courses and YouTube tutorials on different painting techniques.

These artists have dedicated their lives and talent to their art. For them social media represents an important channel through which they can take control of their careers.

Through hard work, they have developed a business without relying on an art a world professional or gallery to take them there. They clearly show that artists can use Instagram to successfully promote and sell art. No matter where you are on your journey, keep your focus on the development and progress of your path. Don’t get overwhelmed by the place. Keep your eyes on your prize and use their success as an inspiration for your own.

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