Spotlight Artist

Ali Cavanaugh

Midwest
Artist profile photo
Featured in New American Paintings

Artist Statement

My dependence on the visual world began when I lost much of my hearing through spinal meningitis at two years of age. This loss was a blessing in disguise as I learned to depend on body language and reading lips to communicate. So, from my youngest days, I became sensitive to the people around me and the unspoken language revealed through compositions of the human body.

I am moved to portray the human figure in two aspects: body and soul. The image of a young female figure reaches into a part of my past that contains an infinite collection of ideas and images for inspiration. My daughter and nieces help create the visual framework for an entry point into those memories.

I’m constantly in a state of awareness about the world, taking in the imagery, colors, and patterns that, to my eye, are compositions of settings and people. This keeps me in a place where my perception is enriched by each and every moment.

Artist's Additional works

Works shared by the artist outside of their featured New American Paintings selections

Featured artwork
Featured artwork

Discover more artists from the Midwest

THE MAGAZINE

Explore our magazine to discover exceptional artists

Open magazine with text, modern illustrations, and a list of artists on a pink background.
View issues

Call for Artists

Submit your work for consideration

New American Paintings is a juried exhibition-in-print and digital, presenting the work of 40 emerging artists in each issue.

View competitions

Your gateway to new art

Discover tomorrow's art stars, today

Two books on a wooden table with a modern decorative sculpture in the background.

PRINT + EARLY ACCESS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$179/YEAR

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

$99/YEAR OR $10/MONTH

Each issue of New American Paintings features forty artists selected through our juried competitions—presented in a beautifully curated, full-color publication. Subscribers receive six issues per year, plus exclusive online access to current and past editions. Are you a collector? Consider our premium subscription and receive our museum-quality printed publication + access to each new digital issue two weeks before its general release.