The striking abstract expressionist portrait pictured above, Hour of Incence, was fashioned with “acrylic, oil stick, oil pastel, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, and the Holy Spirit” on canvas in 2022 by the largely self-taught devotional artist Genesis Tramaine. I came upon it last week while visiting “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960” at the Hirshorn Museum in DC.
What follows are several more images of faces — created by self-taught artists in a range of styles and media — as seen in a variety of settings from art fairs to galleries and museums.
Self-taught Norwegian painter Trude Viken, “Woman 3,” 2024, Oil on canvas
Oregon-based artist Anne Marie Grgich with Sandy Combes, “Florence Giving Flowers Quilt,” 2024, Sewn fabric collage
New Jersey native and Vietnam veteran Gregory Van Maanen, “Untitled,” 2025, Acrylic on board
The late Alabama-born artist Thornton Dial, “A Shadow of Life,” 1994, Charcoal on white paper
Photos by Lois Stavsky
