Perhaps the painter to whom I'm most drawn is Swedish artist Anders Zorn (1860-1920). Zorn's signature brushwork and limited palette are quite exciting to me. A talented oil painter, Zorn was also a proficient watercolorist, etcher and sculptor. Born in Mora, Sweden, he studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm. He and his wife Emma lived in London and Paris before returning to their homeland in 1896.

Zorn traveled abroad, painting family, friends and himself, as well as members of high society. In 1899, at just 29 years of age, he was awarded the Legion of Honour at the Paris World Fair. That same year, he was appointed by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy to paint a self-portrait for their collection. Zorn's portrait commissions include three U.S. presidents: Grover Cleveland for the National Portrait Gallery, an etching of Theodore Roosevelt (drawn from life at the White House) and William Taft's official White House portrait.