As we begin another new year, the art world is abuzz with emerging talents poised to make significant impacts. Among them, four RedDot artists stand out for their unique visions and compelling works. Here are the ones to watch this year.

Katie Murphy

Katie Murphy’s process is rooted in expression and experimentation, and manifests most often figuratively and in vivid color. Working primarily with oils, her work is influenced by her gendered experience growing up in the American South and focuses on juxtaposing themes of propriety and wildness, interior domestic spaces and nature, and containment and movement. She explores the push and pull of space, specifically through the paradox of the home and its conflicting ability to both comfort and isolate.

Her works showcase her ability to blend personal narrative with universal themes. Murphy's work often explores the intersection of memory and materialism, inviting viewers into immersive experiences that linger long after viewing. Her oversized canvases and thoughtful palettes modernize the figurative painting tradition.

Katherine Hunsaker

Katherine Hunsaker is a contemporary abstract painter working out of Austin, TX. Her artistic practice focuses on the subconscious mind, translating her own emotional inner works onto the canvas through color, shape, and texture. She explores and experiments with different mediums, including paintings, collages, drawings, and even short films.

Her style consists of fluid movement, intuitive shapes, and vibrant colors—assigning vibrant hues to past and present thoughts and experiences, allowing viewers to interpret and relive their own memories through vibrant, expressive forms. Katherine’s work lives in private collections in Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Dublin, Nashville, Dallas, Chicago, and Austin.

 "the road less traveled" | 36x36" | Acrylic and oil pastel on raw canvas

Ellen Sherman

Ellen Sherman has been captivating RedDot audiences since our inception, using gestural abstraction to explore the nuances of color and form. Her mixed media work is heavily influenced by her time living in Miami where she observed and documented the ebb and flow of the tides and the power of the water of the ocean. Her fascination with the movement of the ocean during this time carries into her current work, as the random nature of the water flow is carefully preserved.

"What The Water Gave Me III" | 17x13" | Acrylic on canvas, assembled on canvas

Her process marries the chaos of pools of water and color, with planned contour and gesture lines referencing her subject; which is usually rooted in a pattern, texture or movement found in nature. Her commitment to exploring the natural world through abstraction makes her a compelling artist to follow in the coming year.

 "Vesper 1" | 9.75x7.75" | Acrylic on canvas, assembled on mat board

Jessica Matier

Jessica’s work straddles abstract expressionism and surrealism: she paints from her subconscious and fills it in with perceptions of her environment. Simultaneously, she examines the idea of perception itself, creating images to acquire self-healing wisdom. In search of a universal truth, she endeavors to balance the known with the unknown, within the past and present.

 "Day 97: A Breakthrough" | 14x11" | Mixed Media on Paper

In recent years she has departed from watercolor and collage practices to pursue a mixed-media approach to abstract painting. “Employing mixed media is essential to my studio practice as each medium represents a different mode of thinking and expression. I habitually create a movement to symbolize the constant and inevitable changes we face.” Jessica’s abstracts are immediate, gestural, and emotional. They depict a complex cerebral landscape that simultaneously suggests themes from the natural world.

"Lay Down Little Darling" | 30x22 | Mixed Media on Paper

These four artists exemplify the innovative spirit and creative exploration that define the contemporary art scene. As they continue to develop their practices and reach new audiences, their contributions are set to leave an indelible mark on the art world in 2025 and beyond. Even still, their artwork remains accessible to new and seasoned collectors alike. Explore their collections here.