Kalina Tosheva
Kalina Tosheva is a Bulgarian-American contemporary artist based in Seattle, WA. Working primarily in oil painting and charcoal, her work focuses on portraiture, figurative compositions, and landscape.
Kalina is an instructor at the Gage Academy of Art and has additionally taught in workshops and courses within other atelier-based programs, such as at the Florence Academy of Art. She also maintains an independent teaching practice.
She attended the National Academy of Arts in Bulgaria and later graduated from the Florence Academy of Art in Italy.
Her work has been awarded and recognized internationally by competitions and organizations such as the Portrait Society of America, The American Artists Professional League, the Almenara Art Prize, and the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.
Awards & Exhibitions
2025 - Honorable Mention in the 2025 Almenara Art Prize
2025 - Summer Faculty Show - Florence Academy of Art
2025 - “Paper/Mirror/Paper” Portrait Exhibition - Florence Academy of Art
2025 - Longlisted for the Self Portrait Prize - Ruth Borchard Collection
2025 - Longlisted for the Jackson’s Art Prize
2024 - "The Almenara Art Prize Online Exhibition 2024" - The Almenara Collection
2024 - "Summer Faculty Show" - Florence Academy of Art
2024 - ‘Work/Study Scholarship Award’ Assistant Instructor for Landscape Workshop - the Florence Academy of Art
2024 - 'Select Fifty' in the 26th annual International Portrait Competition by the Portrait Society of America
2023 - Honorable Mention in "The Future Generation" competition by the Portrait Society of America
2022 - Best Figure Painting of Second Year - Florence Academy of Art, Italy
2019 - Academic Drawing Competition Purchase Prize - National Academy of Arts, Bulgaria
2019 - Portrait painting in permanent collection of the Vladimir Dimitrov Gallery - Kyustendil, Bulgaria
2019 - "The Soul of the Master" Plein-Air Exhibition - Kyustendil, Bulgaria
2018 - 1st & 2nd Place in Figurative Drawing and Painting (Entrance Exams) - National Academy of Arts, Bulgaria
2013 - "20 Under 20" - Bellevue Arts Museum, United States
Education
Landscape Painting Workshop, Daniela Astone 2024
Drawing and Painting Program, Florence Academy of Art 2021 – 2023
Écorché Sculpture - One-Year Course, Florence Academy of Art 2021 – 2022
Portrait Drawing, Chiaroscuro Atelier under Sergey Chubirko 2022 May – 2022 Jun
3-D Sculpting Intensive Course (ZBrush), CGZen studio under Martin Punchev 2020
Erasmus Exchange Program, Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze 2020 Mar – 2020 Jul
(BA) Painting Program, National Academy of Arts 2018 – 2020 | Sofia, Bulgaria
Private Academic Drawing, Painting & Sculpting Lessons, Terminal 3 Atelier under Peter Hristov 2017 – 2019
To view the entire CV, including full professional experience, internships, etc. click here.