Anthony is a San Francisco-based Latinx artist, muralist, and educator. His art explores social issues, environmental concerns, politics, identity, and vulnerability. He specializes in painting, illustration, and digital art.

Kenly is a comic and caricature artist for events, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Imaginative, spontaneous, and detail-oriented, he enjoys improvisation and creating art on the spot, embracing a real and authentic approach. He loves to showcase his work in front of large crowds.

Anthony is a San Francisco-based Latinx artist, muralist, and educator. His art explores social issues, environmental concerns, politics, identity, and vulnerability. He specializes in painting, illustration, and digital art.

Fabio is a visual artist, educator, and holistic therapist based in Chippendale. For him, art and healing are deeply connected - and both begin with curiosity. He's honored to be the first collage artist to participate in Art Battle Sydney, bringing a unique voice from the world of mixed media and visual storytelling.

Amanda is a self-taught textile and jewelry artist from Bondi who creates vibrant, whimsical sculptures called “Brilliant Creatures,” inspired by her healing journey after a serious car accident. Using found objects, textiles, and discarded toys, she brings her unique creatures to life, often accompanied by her service dog, Dudley. Amanda also customizes vintage denim jackets and makes playful resin jewelry, sharing her joyful, bold creativity both locally and internationally.

Starman specializes in abstract and surrealism, using bold, psychedelic colors and imagery to explore the inner depths of the mind. His themes range from spirituality and metaphysics to capitalism and the modern human condition, with most pieces aiming to evoke a response in the mind or soul. Drawing from his own psychedelic experiences and life challenges like addiction and mental health struggles, he primarily works with acrylic on canvas but is also skilled in watercolors, oil paints, and sculpture.

Jennifer is a Kiwi-Australian painter who enjoys experimenting with color, light, and water. She typically builds up thin oil glazes over several weeks, so working with fast-drying acrylics in just 20 minutes will be a fresh and exciting challenge for her. While she primarily works with oils, she has also explored textiles such as beading and fabric.

Brittany paints vibrant abstract pieces filled with color, movement, and intricate zentangles and patterns. She chooses her colors based on the emotions she’s experiencing and uses movement to convey those feelings. By experimenting with different brushes and textures, she captures the lasting impact emotions leave on her.

Tommy’s style is easily recognizable and includes elements of fine art, pop art, pop culture, retro gaming, robots, and clean, colorful line work with a strong sense of originality. Alongside his artistic talents, he is also a trained sushi chef. He works across various mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, design, illustration, and screen printing.

Denise is a multi-media artist who specializes in portraying humanity’s most difficult and painful experiences. She works primarily with sculpture and oil paint, using these mediums in innovative ways to explore themes of pain, discomfort, and emotional complexity that many tend to avoid. Through her art, Denise seeks to create a cathartic experience for viewers, offering solace to those whose struggles are often ignored or misunderstood.

Emily, a self-taught painter, has been creating art since she was five. Her work is figurative and vibrant, with color and form working together to express the emotions she wants to convey. For Emily, art is a way to communicate without words, and it has become as natural to her as writing.

Robert is a retired, self-taught artist who pursues art as a passionate hobby. He enjoys exploring a variety of techniques and is always willing to experiment with different methods.

Natalia is a Russian artist based in Sydney, specializing in academic realism. She works in a realistic style and is skilled in painting and drawing from life models.

Karl is a professional artist who's worked on games, movies, and TV shows, including designing costumes for Power Rangers. He usually works with watercolor and loves creating fantasy landscapes in his free time. He was a runner-up in a past Art Battle and is fired up, ready to snag a win this time.

Elijah Carson is a Nebraska-based artist and Studio Art graduate from UNK whose work spans drawing, printmaking, graffiti, and digital media. Beginning with street art, he was drawn to its raw expression and unfiltered voice. His practice now blends traditional and digital techniques, exploring themes like masculinity, mortality, and identity. Through layered textures and bold experimentation, Elijah aims to challenge norms and spark reflection.

Hash returns to another Art Battle, bringing a fresh perspective on current events through his work. With a focus on thinking outside the box, he captures reflection in his art. His talents span across painting, drawing, sculpture, and music.

Zart is a self-taught painter whose expressive, instinct-driven style channels the unconscious mind, drawing heavy inspiration from Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow. Working under the name zartist, he blends bold gestures, raw emotion, and layered marks to create paintings that prioritize mood, movement, and atmosphere over realism. Confident in expressive techniques and live performance, Zart thrives in high-pressure environments like Art Battle, where spontaneity, connection, and creative freedom take center stage.

Cat is a surrealist artist who draws and paints primarily from her emotions and internal imagery, creating work that feels both personal and dreamlike. Her art is often influenced by the music she listens to and the environment around her, serving as a reflection of her sensory experiences. Through both drawing and painting, Cat channels these inspirations into expressive, emotionally driven pieces.

Aaran will be bringing his energetic Graffiti style to the Battle, with a hint of sarcasm, Disney and attitude. Skilled across drawing, painting, sculpture, digital media and photography, Aaran’s preferred mediums include posca, acrylic and spray paint on wood and skate decks, cardboard and paper.

Shafins’ canvases are a vibrant counterpoint to the structured worlds she navigates. Since 2011, amidst the whirlwind of raising five sons and a demanding Pharmaceutical career, Shafin has found solace and inspiration in painting. Travel, motherhood, and the relentless rhythm of life itself fuels her artistic vision. Inspired by the masters; Sargent, Velasquez, Renoir.. Shafin creates paintings that pulsate with movement and emotion. Her bold, almost impressionistic style captures fleeting moments, imbuing them with a palpable energy.

Raye is an artist inspired by spirit animals and magic, infusing her work with a deep sense of gratitude and connection. She values the way art brings people together and sees creativity as a powerful, unifying force. Using a variety of mediums including spray paint, acrylic, oil, pen, pencil, and tattoo, Raye expresses her vision through bold, meaningful imagery.

Riya is a visual artist whose work delves into the emotional and psychological layers of the human experience through surreal, symbolic compositions. Her art blends realism and abstraction, often using fragmented human features to explore themes of perception, vulnerability, and identity, creating haunting yet intimate atmospheres with charcoal and mixed media. Driven by emotion and the subconscious, Riya also expresses her creativity through learning tattooing and pole dance.

Vicdan is a Turkey-born artist and designer now creating magic in Massachusetts. With a BFA in hand, she blends oil, gouache, printmaking, and digital art to capture the wild spirit of birds, animals, and nature’s little moments. Her colorful, expressive work turns everyday scenes into emotional stories where intuition dances with observation.

Oliver returns as a 2025 Art Battle Grand Finalist and a multi-disciplinary artist, who works predominantly in digital art and watercolour. Oliver’s longstanding passion and appreciation for birds coupled with quick strokes and a vibrant palette are a treat for the eyes.

Marisa believes that color is a powerful way to connect people, and she has been painting with acrylics and mixed media since childhood. Inspired by her father’s love of art and her experiences visiting galleries and boutiques in Jakarta, she embraces vibrant colors and playful experimentation in her work, especially in her signature Hibiscus series. After retiring from civil engineering, Marisa began painting full-time, establishing Nabuco Art Base in Oakland and exhibiting internationally in places like Madrid and Munich.

Daniela is an Argentinian artist and tattooist based in Sydney, with a background in architecture and a strong passion for figure drawing. Her work explores the space between gesture and stillness, using expressive lines and varied mediums—oil, acrylic, charcoal, and linework—to capture raw emotion, presence, and memory. Focused more on connection than perfection, Daniela lets instinct guide her process, aiming to evoke something real and resonant in each piece.

Oneli is an architecture student with a deep and instinctive passion for painting, using it as a way to unwind and explore ideas beyond structured design. Her work often features flowing, layered landscapes and unexpected subjects—like a painting of rotten fruit—revealing her interest in finding beauty where it’s least expected. Blending emotion, curiosity, and process-driven creativity, Oneli moves fluidly between mediums such as painting, sculpture, digital art, animation, and singing, letting each form enrich her artistic voice.

Ilyart is a self-taught painter who began his artistic journey two years ago as a way to channel his vibrant mind and creative energy. Coming from a highly artistic family—his mother, Elena Kats-Chernin, is a renowned classical composer—he uses painting as a personal outlet, favoring bright colors, spontaneous compositions, and acrylics for their immediacy. With a love for social connection and a passion for exploring the world, Ilyart brings a sense of energy, feeling, and openness to both his art and his growing presence in the creative community.

Julia is a passionate and multi-talented artist who works across mixed media, digital painting, and DIY clothing, often exploring her creativity through jewelry, jackets, and even her car. She is especially drawn to portrait art, frequently painting faces with bold brush strokes, bright colors, and whimsical details like funky hair, bugs, and stars. Her work often tells a story, as she enjoys creating original characters and bringing them to life through expressive features and imaginative designs.

Anastasia returns to Battle after impressing in her first competitive show last year, purposely embracing the unfinished elements and inviting viewers to use their imagination. Anastasia is a Siberian artist living in Auckland. Having trained as an architect and urban designer, Anastasia is deeply passionate about cities, a passion reflected in her sketches of urban life; roofs, façades, streets, and more. Although she has been drawing her entire life, this is her first time sharing her work publicly.

Kimberly Clingan is a self-taught acrylic artist from North Texas, inspired by vintage imagery like petroliana, mid-century buildings, and retro signage. Since 2021, she has captured the nostalgic charm of America's past through bold color and texture. Her award-winning work reflects a unique “abstractish-ish” style that bridges history and memory.

Haley is a visual artist deeply influenced by Renaissance and Baroque styles, drawn to their rich dark tones, flowing movement, and layered symbolism. Her work often blends elements of dreams and fantasy, creating emotionally resonant portraits with a timeless quality. Starting with watercolors at a young age, she later discovered a passion for portraiture and transitioned to oil painting in her twenties.

Vicki is an artist and art therapist from Melbourne who uses mixed media to create expressive portraits and vibrant street art. Her work explores the intersection of art and psychology, using symbolism and bold visual language to express what words often cannot. With a background in clinical art therapy and a passion for experimentation, Vicki combines technical skill with creative freedom—whether through spray paint, drawing, teaching, or guiding others through healing processes using art.

Mark is a passionate artist who pours his love for drawing into every piece, embracing a cartoonish style inspired by anime and comic books. He enjoys creating character-based collages, often reimagining familiar figures from shows in unique and expressive ways. Growing up with a deep love for art, Mark honed his skills through persistence and dedication, always putting his heart into each drawing—mistakes and all.

Emily Margot Knight is currently creating a series that explores the mystical obsession between fangirls and the broader media landscape. Using traditionally “feminine” materials, she challenges the limitations placed on women and embraces the powerful creative force behind her practice. Originally from Southern California and now based in the Deep South, Emily draws on the resilience of Southern women and her passion for overlooked women’s art history, working across oil, acrylic, and mixed media including collage, glitter, found objects, fibers, and unconventional materials.

Turtle Wayne is a cartoonist and live artist known for turning anything into a turtle. With over 4,000 turtle drawings on Instagram, his bold, fun style blends cartoon vibes with a street-art edge. He works fast with paint markers, Microns, and alcohol-based pens to create clear, expressive, turtle art.

Megan is back! She finds the excitement of live painting exhilarating and treasures the camaraderie with fellow artists. Her artwork is characterized as raw and intensely emotional, showcasing vivid colors and a wealth of feelings.

Laura is a self-taught artist who explores various mediums, from painting to pottery. Inspired by the colors of the Pacific Northwest, she creates spontaneous landscapes without a set plan, calling her creative escapes "braincations." She enjoys painting in acrylics, charcoal, and watercolor, and also has a passion for sculpture.

Isiah views his art as a realm of limitless passion and vivid color, deeply inspired by comic books and his father. His work revolves around fantasy and storytelling, brought to life through traditional media like watercolor, acrylics, and colored pencils, as well as digital painting.

Tsungwei Moo's work is diverse in both media and content. Focused on mixed media painting, printmaking, and ceramic sculpture, Moo delves into themes that focus on social justice, nature, conservation and public engagement. Her work has been exhibited in many public locations and museums including the Yosemite Museum and Taiwan Art Bank.

Turtle Wayne is a cartoonist and live artist known for turning anything into a turtle. With over 4,000 turtle drawings on Instagram, his bold, fun style blends cartoon vibes with a street-art edge. He works fast with paint markers, Microns, and alcohol-based pens to create clear, expressive, turtle art.

Rosalie is a career artist and muralist who believes art is a basic human right for all ages. Blending realism with the surreal, she focuses on facial expressions and their emotional resonance, using oil paint to morph them into ethereal, visionary forms. With a strong sense of value and color, Rosalie creates fast, large-scale works designed to inspire creativity, evoke deep emotional responses, and connect with viewers on a meaningful level.

Anna is a mixed-media artist based in San Francisco. Although she has an academic background, her art is inspired by the children she teaches and their ways of expressing themselves in art. Anna works in all kinds of techniques and uses any available materials.

Tetiana Blyzenko is a professional artist and educator from Ukraine with over 25 years of experience. She founded TBart Studio in San Francisco, where she teaches a variety of painting techniques—like watercolor, pastel, acrylic, InkArt, and FluidArt—and hosts welcoming Sip & Paint classes for all skill levels. Alongside teaching, she also creates unique hand-painted designs on clothing and accessories and is a proud winner of Art Battle San Francisco.

Laur’s artistic inspiration stems from her deep love for animals, both large and small. Working primarily in oils and acrylics, she is especially captivated by the distinct characteristics of dog breeds and rabbits. In addition to painting, she creates miniature pillows for guinea pig show awards and enjoys experimenting with both digital and traditional media, including graphite, ink, and photography.

Joel has both competed and featured as a Spotlight Artist across the last Art Battle 2 seasons. His works meld ‘classic meets urban’ style with social commentary and internal monologue. He is a self-taught, full-time artist. His imaginative and versatile work ranges from comic art to realistic pieces, covering everything from paper to murals. He employs brushes, paint, pencils, and pens in his artistic process - and is back for a crack at Art Battle Auckland CBD!

Big Ben is a native San Franciscan who has been drawing since childhood, known for his quick, realistic pen drawings and painterly paintings. He often sketches with a ballpoint pen in public and transforms those sketches into large-scale paintings. His work captures both precision and expressive brushwork, reflecting a lifelong dedication to art.

Duan is an amateur artist who paints for fun, bringing a creative spark to his primarily scientific background. He enjoys working with sketching, watercolor, acrylics, and origami, often exploring different mediums with curiosity and playfulness. Outside of visual art, Duan also plays the violin, adding another layer to his expressive pursuits.

Sharazar is an artist who primarily works with markers but also enjoys experimenting with airbrush, spray paint, watercolor, gouache, and other mediums. Deeply inspired by Japanese culture, Sharazar dreams of visiting Japan and is currently focused on writing a graphic novel and building a 2D animation studio. Passionate about storytelling and driven by a desire to uplift others through art, Sharazar sees creativity as both a lifelong outlet and a path to creating opportunities for fellow artists.

Gazlene creates colorful, super flat art that often carries a playful, cartoony quality no matter the medium. They work across multiple forms of expression—including drawing, digital art, sewing, fursuit making, and cosplay—refusing to limit themselves to a single style. Through their work, Gazlene strives to bring magic and fantasy to life, blending vibrant imagination with hands-on creativity.

Deniz is a 2D artist creating surreal worlds that blend chaos and whimsy. His work features eccentric characters and intricate landscapes, using bold lines and vibrant colors to provoke thought and challenge societal norms. Primarily digital, Deniz embraces any medium that leaves a mark, quickly translating his ideas with energy often fueled by Rage Against The Machine.

Nicole is a nomadic, Oakland-based interdisciplinary Asian-American artist with a B.A. in Fine Arts from UC Santa Cruz (2014). She works across painting, photography, illustration, textiles, and graphics, using an intuitive, flow-driven process inspired by wabi-sabi aesthetics and global influences. Through bold colors and expressive forms, Nicole’s work explores interconnectedness, identity, and emotion, offering a vibrant reflection of the human experience.

Wendy began painting just three years ago, inspired to pick up a brush after watching an Art Battle event. She quickly developed a love for working with acrylics and continues to explore her creativity through the medium.

Sarah is a local amateur artist and full-time stay-at-home mom of two energetic boys. After years focused on intricate line art and crafts for her children, she recently rediscovered her passion through pet portraits in acrylics, selling several online. Skilled in drawing, painting, and layering, Sarah works methodically with brushes, markers, and ink, blending grayscale and vibrant colors. Art is her creative escape and a joyful way to reconnect with herself.

Mike is a returning Auckland Art Battler and an accomplished multi-disciplinary artist. He displays expertise across pencil, pen and ink, gouache, paint and digital media. From comic art, to fine art, to Co Century art for indi games, Mike has dabbled in it all. Expect a mix of pop culture, robots or monsters!

World champion bodypaint artist and Season 2 crowd favourite Yolanda is back! Yolanda transitions her body art styles and make-overs in her static canvas work, embracing the commercial tools and her experience with bodypainting, special Fx, props, murals, sculpting and make up.

Madison Rogers is a self-taught artist whose primary mediums are acrylic paint and paint pens. She uses art as an outlet for emotional expression and aims to help others feel seen through her work. Most of her pieces reflect themes of mental illness and childhood experiences.

Kaylee, a 22-year-old artist, strives to guide others on their spiritual journey through her creations. Channeling messages from the divine, Kaylee believes every detail in her work has a purpose. Her art is meant to bring viewers into the present moment and remind them of their divine nature. Kaylee loves all forms of creativity, with a passion for sculpting with polymer clay, collaging, and mixed media, always creating something meaningful from nothing.

Meredith is a international artist with a long history in the arts. She has a background in video games, illustration, and performance painting. Her skills are versatile, and she has diversified herself in many mediums from digital art to wood sculpting, to becoming a licensed tattoo artist. She is most passionate about is redemptive storytelling and turning what is unseen to the seen.

Aileen is an acrylic and ceramic painter who enjoys expressing her creativity through both painting and pottery. After attending the last session, she felt inspired and motivated to compete. Her work reflects a growing passion for hands-on art and a desire to keep challenging herself artistically.

Ryan is a self-taught artist and software developer from Omaha who fills sketchbooks with whimsical fantasy landscapes and paints using various traditional media. With a background in digital art and graphic design, he blends structure and spontaneity in both his creative and technical work. Ryan’s art reflects his passion for imagination and his belief in creating more than he consumes—one brushstroke at a time.