Brooke Bartholomew (b. Houston, TX) is a figurative oil painter whose work merges a classical approach to the human form with urgent sociopolitical commentary. A pediatric cardiac ICU nurse for nearly a decade, Bartholomew’s perspective as both healer and community organizer permeates her practice. She earned her BS in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 2015 and an MFA in Painting and Drawing from the Academy of Art University in 2023.
Her work has been exhibited in Minneapolis, Chicago, and New Orleans, engaging themes of ecological collapse, patriarchy, and systems of violence. In her own words: “If my anger at these injustices is expressed in the marks of paint on canvas, then my enduring hope is the brush which sets them in place. I believe change will happen, if only we act and lean on one another in solidarity.”
Made in 2025
Oil on Linen
10" x 10"