About the Artist

Doris Rose is a contemporary-realist portrait painter based in Ontario, Canada, who has been shortlisted for the prestigious HSF Kramer Portrait Award exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK. She creates thought-provoking portraiture series and commissions in both traditional and digital media. Her current series, Blur, explores the emotional and visual distortions of living with chronic migraine and ADHD.

She has built a widely followed online art platform, with over 250,000 followers and 150 million total views, sharing her art and process with her online community. She is invited to lead workshops and coach emerging talent, and is currently creating a book in response to the popularity of her online illustrations de-mystifying painting techniques.

Born in the UK and living in Canada since 2000, Doris holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design University (2013), where she received the top entrance scholarship.

Curriculum Vitae

DORIS ROSE ​
Contemporary-Realist Portrait Painter | Ontario, Canada
Born 1991, Kent, UK
www.dorisrose.com | @dorisroseart
​(She/Her)

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Drawing & Painting Major, Ontario College of Art and Design University, Toronto, ON, Canada 2013​

Awards & Recognition

  • Shortlisted: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award (previously BP), 2026, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
  • Shortlisted: Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, 2024 & 2026, London, UK
  • Doris McCarthy Scholarship, 2009, Toronto, ON, Canada

Selected Exhibitions

  • Self Portrait Competition, Portrait Society of Canada (Online), 2025
  • Covid-19 Portraits, Gallery 1313, Toronto, ON, 2020
  • Migraine Canada - Guest speaker and solo art display, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, 2019
  • Cut and Paste, Project Gallery, Toronto, ON, 2013
  • Early Exhibitions & Community Shows: ARTFEST, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, OCADU GradEx & Annual Figure Show, 2013; Ontario Science Centre, 2011

Selected Commissions & Portraiture Projects

  • 2022 | Portrait of Eileen Daunt, Institutional Commission
    Commissioned by Bayview Glen School, Toronto, to celebrate Mrs. Daunt’s retirement and the school’s 60th anniversary publication.
  • 2023-Present | Blur, Portraiture Series
    Explores visual and emotional distortions of living with chronic migraine and ADHD through blurred realism, motion and layered translucency, conveying the instability of perception shaped by invisible neurological conditions.
  • 2013-2019 | Objectified Soul, Portraiture Series
    Depicts subjects with their most precious objects, exploring the curation of material value and introspective portraiture. Exhibited online due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • 2012-2013 | To Have Pause, Thesis Series
    De-contextualizes movie screenshots into introspective drama expressed through colour and brushstroke. Exhibited in OCADU GradEx and Annual Figure Show, Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and Cut and Paste, Project Gallery.
  • Ongoing | Traditional & Digital Commissions
    Produces both traditional oil and digital painting commissions for collectors worldwide.


Selected Publications & Media Features

  • 2026 | OCADU - Interviewed for career profile (anticipated Spring 2026)
  • 2023 | Quirky Fox Gallery & Beautiful Bizarre Magazine - Interview and feature on ‘Feed the Artist Not the Algorithm’ graphic creation
  • 2023 | Bayview Glen Magazine - Feature on commissioned portrait of Eileen Daunt
  • 2022 | Globe & Mail - Portrait ‘Each New Leaf’ featured as part of Women’s Brain Health Initiative campaign
  • 2021 | Nettculture - Featured portrait ‘Shawn at Queen Video’

About