Artist Biography
Anna Rose Bain (b. 1985) is a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist based in Colorado. Her paintings often depict people in peaceful settings or places that evoke happiness. She especially loves painting women and children, and seeks to convey all of her subjects with honesty and sensitivity.
Anna was self taught until college. Inspired by her grandfather, who started painting at the age of 70, Anna spent her free time as a child sketching from nature and poring over art books. She studied fine art at Hillsdale College from 2003-2007, and in 2006 she took a figure painting course at the Florence Academy of Art. She graduated from Hillsdale with honors and distinguished herself as the first student in the school’s history to have a solo senior show.
Anna now resides in Arvada, CO with her husband Steve and their two children. She works full-time as a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist. She also teaches workshops, creates art instructional videos, and is actively involved in the local arts communities. She is a Signature member of the Oil Painters of America (for which she won the Gold Medal, the organization’s top award, at the 2022 National Juried Exhibition), and an Out of State Artist member of the California Art Club. She is also a member of Plein Air Artists of Colorado, and is a Signature faculty member of the Portrait Society of America. Her award-winning work can be found in numerous private and public collections around the world.
Anna’s style employs a direct painting method while drawing from classical roots. She gains inspiration from the joys and struggles in her life, seeking to make the world a better place through her art. Her paintings are an expression of gratitude and an exploration of the questions one faces at different stages of their life.
Artist’s Statement
I paint because it’s cheaper than therapy. Also, because I must paint. It’s branded into my soul. It’s how I make sense of life—through brushstrokes, light, and the constant problem-solving (my husband says I create lots of problems for myself… he’s not wrong).
My work is a blend of classical training and direct painting—think old-world technique meets real-world mess. I love the human figure, especially when it’s dancing, making music, immersed in nature, or climbing into my lap asking for snacks. I find joy in subjects that let different art forms overlap and speak to each other through movement, rhythm, and emotion.
Motherhood transformed my studio life in unexpected ways and gave me a voice I hadn’t yet discovered. Suddenly, I was painting tired self-portraits and images of tiny humans with sticky fingers and big feelings. My work became more personal and way more honest. It started capturing intimate stories that convey both the wonder and weariness of daily life.
In my early years, I was fixated on perfecting the craft. I chased skin tones, grappled at understanding value and color nuance, and lived for the precision of the figure. These days, I’m chasing something more transient: light that carves out form, color that vibrates, design that directs the viewer like a well-written lyric. I still treasure technique—but now I let it serve the story.
My inspiration springs from the people I love and the moments that stop me in my tracks. These are the things that beckon me to paint—not for the sake of perfection, but to catch a glimpse of something fleeting and true.
Art, at its best, holds both play and reverence. I try to make space for both.