Bree Gilliam is a fine arts painter and muralist from Buffalo, New York. She attended SUNY Buffalo State University, receiving a B.F.A. in painting and a minor in art therapy in 2022. She is the owner of Paintphoria LLC, Buffalo NY’s first slatter studio. You can learn about Paintphoria at www.paintphoria.com. She is best known for her figurative oil paintings, which feature expressive, loose brushstrokes influenced by masters such as John Singer Sargent and contemporary artist Jordan Casteel. She is deeply interested in the social issues plaguing society and in celebrating people of color who inspire change in their communities. Gilliam believes her responsibility is to depict the perspectives of marginalized people, give voice to the voiceless, and empower her community.

Her work has been exhibited in several exhibitions around New York State, including Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center’s Amid/In WNY 2024, Burchfield Penney Art Center’s Sharing Our View: 25th Anniversary, a solo exhibition entitled INSPIRED at Buffalo Arts Studio, and a group exhibition with Art Groove Collective in SoHo, NYC. She is also an independent contract artist with Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Gilliam has been featured in Hyperallergic, Buffalo Spree Magazine, Buffalo Rising, and WBFO NPR’s What’s Next? Podcast. Bree attended a residency at The C. Stuart and Jane H. Hunt Art Gallery and has received a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship from Buffalo State University. Gilliam has also received over ten academic awards during her time at Buffalo State University. Bree hopes to continue sparking uncomfortable yet crucial conversations with her work. She will continue to make new work out of her studio in Buffalo, NY.