Art & Soul Celebration Cover Artists

Each year an outstanding local artist is chosen as the cover artist for Art & Soul Celebration. The featured artist creates a one-of-a-kind work specifically for Art & Soul, and it is used in the marketing and as the key piece auctioned off at the end of the night. These artists represent the incredibly community spirit of the Arts in Tallahassee.

2025 Featured Artist
​Anna Kincaide

Pictures in my Mind
30" x 40"
Oil on Canvas
2025
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Anna Kincaide, born in Northern Florida, is a contemporary painter known for her striking, enigmatic portraits that blur the lines between fashion, history, and identity. With a strong sense of mystery surrounding her personal life, Kincaide allows her artwork to speak in bold and evocative tones. Her signature style features faceless female figures crowned in extravagant, floral-inspired headpieces rendered in thick, expressive impasto. These pieces explore the fluidity of identity and the performative nature of femininity. Drawing inspiration from fashion editorials, classical portraiture, and historical icons such as Queen Nefertiti, Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and Beyoncé, Kincaide constructs visual narratives that connect the past with the contemporary. Kincaideʼs work continues to evolve, incorporating elements of abstraction, costume, and high fashion to reflect the ever-shifting nature of self-expression. Her paintings have been exhibited in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and Atlanta.

Keep up with Anna Kincaide on Instagram @annakincaide

2024 Featured Artist 
Samantha McCoy

Local Pines: Sunshine State Blossom
22" x 30"
​Acrylic on Mounted Paper
2024

Sam McCoy was born and raised in Orlando.  She is a contemporary painter who focuses on the boundaries between natural and hyperreal landscapes.  She pulls her inspirations from southern landscapes, places where spectacles and roadside attraction dominate America's tourism capital.  Between eco-tourism destinations and constructed gardens, McCoy explores the contradictions of her experiences in these places.  By pulling back the metaphorical curtain on a carefully crafted image of destinations like Florida, McCoy’s ideas of disenchantment and re-enchantment are enacted in each painting.

​McCoy received her BFA from the University of Central Florida and her MFA from Florida State University.  Currently she the Director of Exhibitions and a featured Wildlife Artist at Thomasville Center for the Arts, and Instructor in the Fine Arts and Interior Design and Architecture departments at Florida State University. She continues to work in her home studio in Tallahassee, frequenting picturesque springs and roadside citrus stands.

​Keep up with Sam McCoy on Instagram @sammccoyart
​https://www.sammccoyart.com
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2023 Featured Artist
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Quia Z. Atkinson

​My Lil' Bauble
20" x 20" 
Mixed Media, Resin, Quartz, Glass
2023

Quia Z Atkinson (QZdesigngallery.com) is a contemporary mixed media artist and owner of QZ Design Gallery who lives and works in Tallahassee, Florida. Atkinson earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida A&M University and a minor in military science. She never thought that her educational journey would lead her to a career in the art world.   Her luxurious, vibrant and fluid artworks are most definitely an extension of her upbringing and express a desire for constant movement. Growing up in a military family and living in culturally rich places such as Oslo, Norway and Rabat, Morocco has made a deep and long-lasting impact on her art.
Her creations are comprised of a spectacular mixture of mixed media embellishments including acrylic, glass, crystals and resin that offer a three-dimensional sparkling aspect boasting stunning layers and depth! Quia has an affinity for the natural and organic beauty of crystals and geodes and incorporates and materializes this into her art and home decor. There is something new for the eyes at different angles and light levels which offer stimulation for the senses.
Atkinson has received widespread recognition for her vibrant artwork and she was recently named as one of Tallahassee's 25 Women You Need To Know! She has been published by multiple media outlets including both the covers of Tallahassee Woman Magazine and Tallahassee Magazine. Her recent solo exhibitions include the Tallahassee Int'l Airport Artport Gallery with COCA and Jefferson Arts Gallery. Her art and home decor have also been featured in Travel Pulse Magazine (N.J), Bay Magazine (Tampa), Tallahassee Democrat, Greater Works TV Network and Visit Tallahassee. Atkinson's artwork was chosen as the 'cover art' for Big Bend Cares Artopia which is the largest charity art auction in Florida's capital. She has also served as a judge for ArtsQuest in Sandestin which brings in over 5,000 people and 100 artisans.

2022 Featured Artist
Monica Rios

Costa de la Luz
25" x 31"
Acrylic on Canvas
​2022
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​Monica Rios is a self-taught artist from Florida, who has exhibited her work for more than 20 years. Her work has been exhibited from Montreal, Canada, to the US Virgin Islands. She has been a Tallahassee resident for over 35 years. You may have seen her work in Tallahassee at the Artport Gallery, FSU Ballroom, or LeMoyne Art Foundation.
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Rios’ art is a combination of dream- inspired and realistic imagery. Her style is known for being colorful, with a flowing composition.

2021 Cover Artist
Kelly Rysavy

LeMoyne Jardin

Kelly Rysavy, a native of North Carolina now resides in Tallahassee and St. George Island, Florida.  Being primarily a self-taught artist, she feels her real growth developed with the decision to make art a fulltime commitment.  Her work is held throughout the United States in private collections as well as resort hotels in Costa Rica and the Bahamas. Kelly draws inspiration from nature and coastal environments. A subtle layering of rich earthy colors and the delicate play of light against form create a velvety texture that breathes life into the canvas.  Always growing as an artist, Kelly is constantly experimenting with new styles and techniques. She is a prolific creator on many scales, from miniatures to room size 
murals, and frequently works with clients to create the perfect commissioned piece 
for their space. 

2020 Featured Artist
​Jaime Hernandez

Our Common Thread
24" x 36"
Acrylic and Resin on Canvas
​2020

2019 Featured Artist
​Betsy Champion

Flower Bed on my Head
24" x 24"
Acrylic on Wood
​2019