This shouldn't amaze us as it does. Some tool (at msft...) a few decades ago decided that UI was UI and graphics were graphics and never the twain shall meet. We're finally fixing this with Cooliris, WPF/SL, Cocoa, QT, etc.
Found these really cool artist in a designboom article about Show Off in Paris. Katinka Lampe paints oil on canvas portraits, and they’re awesome. I like this one below for the hair. It looks like a vector drawing, right?