Who's she? Diana Copperwhite was born in Limerick in 1969. She is the 2007 winner of the prestigious AIB Art Prize. She won 20,000 to assist in the publication of a catalogue and to facilitate the production of new work for an exhibition in the West Cork Arts Centre in October 2008.

Copperwhite studied at the Limerick School of Art and Design; the National College of Art and Design, Dublin (BA 1994) and Winchester School of Art and Design (MA 2001).

What's it all about? Copperwhite's work is concerned with the concept of memory. Her paintings are both multi-layered and ambiguous. She is also concerned with the effects of light and colour, each of which she manipulates to create mood in her paintings. The final results are pastel-coloured, reverie-inducing pieces, which are increasingly sought after. The fact that Copperwhite has won the AIB award only adds to her bankability as an artist.

What do the critics say?

"Copperwhite. . . is a brilliant gestural painter. . . Progressively, in recent years, she has introduced more and more figurative imagery into previously uninhabited spaces. It is difficult to do, given her fast, instinctive method of painting, but she has managed it with great bravura."

How much? The Bearface, an oil on canvas, 30.5 x 25cm signed, inscribed and dated verso recently sold at auction for 1,250.

Where? Kevin Kavanagh Gallery, Dublin.

ATSUSHI KAGA

Who's that? Kaga was born in Japan in 1978 and has been living in Ireland, mostly Dublin, for six years.

A graduate with a BA in Fine Art from NCAD, Kaga is described as being dedicated, prolific and quiet. He describes himself as a nerd.

What's it all about?

Kaga's work is whimsical yet magnetic. Many of his works feature his alter-ego 'Bunny' in surreal situations. In his work there is a fascinating cultural collision between Japanese and Irish traditions.

His pieces are darkly comic and endearing without being sugar-coated.

As an unknown, Kaga's work sold incredibly well at this year's NADA exhibition in Miami.

Kaga has been described as the hottest new thing on the Irish art scene.

What do the critics say?

"There is a nice, dreamy quality to his evocation of a coherent rabbitworld."

How much?

Small works, around A4 in size, sell for between 500- 1,000. His larger pieces have sold for up to 8,000.

Where?

Mother's Tank Station, Dublin.

NICK MILLER

Who's that?

Born in Sligo in 1962, Miller is widely regarded as an artists' artist. His diligence and passion for his craft is inspirational.

He has been a member of Aosdana (the association of people who have reached distinction in the arts in Ireland) since 2001.

What's it all about?

Miller recently won huge critical acclaim for his watercolour portraits. His upcoming exhibition in Paris features his work in Indian and Chinese inks. The landscapes, or truckscapes as he calls them, were painted from a truck converted for use as a mobile studio.

All are connected by a common approach to working only directly in the presence of his subject. Drawing and painting are given equal measure and are driven by a commitment to distil the energy and reality of the encounter between artist and subject. Miller's talent is multiple. He excels in portraiture, landscapes and still life.

What do the critics say?

"One imagines that his hands are much of a blur as the changing clouds merge within the spatial confines of the canvas, but there is never a definitive moment."

How much?

Although relatively expensive, Miller's work can fetch from between 7,000- 30,000 . . . his continued critical acclaim means that he is still a sound investment.

Where?

Rubicon Gallery, Dublin.

Who's that?

Helen Steele

Steele is a 33-year-old Dubliner living in County Monaghan. Her clients include Donald Sutherland, Diane von Furstenberg and Helena Christensen.

What's it all about?

Steele describes her work as "an impression of my recorded unconscious thoughts".

Her images are vibrant, textural and striking. She does not use a paint brush, rather a pouring and running technique, allowing abstract forms and images to emerge. In her own words "I produce work that is a form of escapism from reality. I would like to think that when looking at this work the viewer would, (for just a second or two) feel immersed in another colourful abstract dimension." Steele's work, which is aesthetic rather than containing any lofty philosophical notions, will appeal to those for whom art is something to view rather than dissect.

What do the critics say?

"Helen Steele is an artist who is not afraid. Her work is spontaneously physical yet carefully and beautifully composed. She has a clear love of paint and the physical act of painting with a bold and imaginative use of colour. The concepts and techniques behind the work are innovative and one is left wondering where she will go next."

Not to be confused with: Kevin Sharkey.

How much?

Steele's paintings range in price from 900 to 10,000.

Where?

Mullan Gallery, Belfast.

DARINA ROCHE-KIANG

Who's that?

Roche-Kiang graduated from NCAD in the 1980s and has since worked and exhibited extensively. Her talent is widely recognised. Awards include a three-month residency at Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Monaghan, and a scholarship from the New York School of Visual Arts and a merit prize from the Pantheon Gallery, Dublin.

What's it all about?

RocheKiang studied Jungian psychology and that influences much of her current work, which features heads and mythic images. Heavily influenced by early Picasso too.

Roche-Kiang's popularity peaked about three years ago and although not on the art critic's pages on a daily basis, her work is still considered bankable and affordable.

Not to be confused with: Pablo Picasso.

How much?

From 850 upwards, larger pieces are selling for between 2,000 2,500. Good value for an un-hyped artist.

Where?

Cherry Lane Gallery, Greystones.

MICHAEL GEMMELL

Who's that?

Dublin artist Michael Gemmell studied at the National College of Art & Design in Dublin and Limerick.

He is represented annually at the RHA.

Gemmell works in oils.

What's it all about?

Typically painting landscapes Gemmell's ". . . work is like a bird's eye view of the landscape. I paint bog land, the Burren and the islands. I concentrate on the effect rather than merely depicting the scene. I think this achieves a delicate balance of abstract and representational imagery through hues of colour, tone and form."

What do the critics say?

"Gemmell's paintings. . . . inspired by the Burren, are formalised landscapes recalling talents as diverse as Arthur Armstrong, Tony O'Malley and Nicolas de Stael. His work is atmospheric."

Not to be confused with: James Galway.

How much?

Expensive but should hold or improve in value; from 2,900 up to 25,000.

Where?

The Kenny Gallery, Galway

JOANNA KIDNEY

Who's that?

Kidney is a Dubliner, she graduated with a first class honours degree in Visual Communications from DIT in 1996. She has exhibited extensively and her work is included in many corporate and public collections.

What's it all about?

Kidney employs abstract line and form drawn in wax and oil on ultra white board to compose her works.

The images are fresh, feminine although sometimes a bit 'Sure I could do that meself '.

How much?

Kidney is quite accessible for someone with a smaller budget with works starting from around 350.

Where?

Available from Stone Gallery, Dublin.

GRAHAM KNUTTEL

Who's that?

It's Graham Knuttel silly. The artist whose painting graced the front of an MBNA credit card in 2003. Knuttel's career went stellar in the 1990s when people such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Whoopi Goldberg started buying his art.

What's it all about?

"I do not explain my work, rather my work explains me." Love it or hate it, Knuttel's work still has plenty of fans. His lesser known tapestry and ceramics works are highly original and collectable.

Not to be confused with: Jonathan Knuttel, Peter Knuttel, Nutella.

How much?

Surprisingly affordable to begin with, one can pick up a small Knuttel for around 2,000, but prices go up, up and away from there. Because Knuttel is so prolific, value may not increase by that much, but it won't go down either.

Where?

Gormley's Fine Art, Dublin, Belfast, Omagh.

JOHN KINDNESS

Who's that?

Kindness was born in Belfast in 1951. He is a multi-media artist who attended the Belfast College of Art and now lives and works in Dublin.

What's it all about?

Kindness's work often contrasts material, image and reference in an unusual and witty way. He has described himself as a "contemporary archaeologist" and is well known for his use of urban detritus as his canvasses. His work is sometimes inspired by notions of class distinction and the physical resemblances between siblings.

What do the critics say?

"That it is a phantom identity brokered between a Ford car bonnet, 15th-century garnishings and urbane Romans, reinvests the work with the tension and humour that are Kindness's hallmark."

How much?

A limited edition etching sold for 870 at auction recently.

Where?

Fenton Gallery, Cork.

KEVIN SHARKEY

Who's that?

The enfant terrible of the Irish art world was born in Dublin in 1962 and adopted and reared in Killybegs. Sharkey now spends his time flitting between Ibiza, Dublin and London.

Self-taught and highly-acclaimed, Sharkey is also adept at playing the PR game. He is one of Ireland's most successful and controversial artists.

What's it all about?

Sharkey's painting is as loud and distinctive as his personality.

Abstract swirls, manic splotches of colour and vivid sculptures are his stock-intrade. Regarded as one of the most bankable artists on the Irish scene today, Sharkey's work is well travelled. Two of his paintings were snapped up in Ibiza by Kate Moss and Pete Doherty last year.

What do the critics say?

"Sharkey has had a string of sell-out exhibitions and has seen his paintings rise in value by 300%. The Irish Arts Review recently called him 'the artist to bank on."

How much?

Most work is between 750- 1,200 although some pieces have sold for much higher.

Where?

Sharkey Gallery, Dublin, London, Ibiza.

GET A /250 KEVIN SHARKEY GIFT TOKEN FOR FREE

The Sunday Tribune has 50 Kevin Sharkey gift vouchers, worth /250 each, to give away. The first 50 Sunday Tribune readers to ring the gallery and ask for the vouchers will receive them.

Call 01 453 6282