Ann Troutman, a Louisville artist best known for her portraits, was born in Michigan and began studying art as a young girl in St. Cloud, Minnesota. She continued her studies at the Pauline Kunkel Studios in Washington, D.C., and at the Art Students League in New York City.

While at the ASL, she studied anatomy with George Bridgman and portraiture with Frank DuMond. She continued her studies in Vienna, Austria, and at the Royal Academy in London, England.

She came to Louisville in the 1930s and exhibited in several venues, including the Speed Art Museum, the Woman's Club of Louisville, the Crescent Hill Woman's Club, the Louisville Association and the Arts Club. She was a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. She was represented in the ground-breaking exhibition Kentucky Women Artists: 1850-2000 in 2001-2002 and is featured in Louisville Modern: an era in art.