New Visionary Magazine | Contemporary Art + Professional Development - Issue 8 by New Visionary Magazine

NEW VISIONARY C O N T E M P O R A R Y

A R T

BROUGHT TO YOU BY VISIONARY ART COLLECTIVE ©

P R O F E S S I O N A L

D E V E L O P M E N T

ISSUE 8 AUTUMN 2023

Our mission at Visionary Art Collective is to uplift artists & educators through magazine features, exhibitions, podcast interviews, and our mentorship program.

Contact + Submission Guidelines VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.visionaryartcollective.com FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM @visionaryartcollective @ newvisionarymag FIND US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/VisionaryArtCollective EMAIL info@visionaryartcollective.com SUBMIT TO OUR PLATFORM www.visionaryartcollective.com/submit LEARN MORE OR SUBSCRIBE www.visionaryartcollective.com/magazine We post all submission opportunities to our website and social media pages.

COVER ARTIST JUAN ARANGO PALACIOS Nadie Deja Que Muera Una Flor Tan Bella, oil on canvas, 24x36in

BACK COVER ARTIST SARAH E. BOYLE Metting Nick, La, 07.25.2023 oil on wood panel, 9x12in

Artwork photographed by Jonathan Mathias

CONTENTS MEET THE VISIONARY TEAM VISIONARY INTERVIEWS

Juan Arango Palacios Leo Dorsch Jen Tough

10 14 18

VISIONARY WORDS

Artists’ Open Studio: How to Throw an Art Party and Why You Absolutely Should The Digital-Analog Dance: Balancing Tools in Your Creative Practice Jin Jeong: The Cosmic Energy Connecting the Womb with the Mountains Contemporary Art & Sustainability 5 Tips For Maximizing Studio Time

VISIONARY ARTISTS Marie Aublé Timothy J Bergeron Steph Blondet Sarah Boyle Hannah Burnworth Jiwoo Choi Alycia Earhart Thomas Flynn II Marie B Gauthiez Xenia Gray Alexis Herman Ryan Horton Scott Hunter Andrea Jones Sameh Khalatbari Ji Eun Lim Haley Manchon Melissa Mohammadi Grace W. Nguchu Pei Ou Jacquelynn Perkins Lucy Ray Kaylee Reynolds Sheri Rush Deborah Sherman Amanda Smith Danyang Song Vanessa Torres Rodrigo Veloso April Werle Xiangjie Rebecca Wu Emine Yilmaz

VISIONARY VISITS Farrell Mason-Brown Natalie Steigmann-Gall Zoe Toscano

24 26 28 30 32 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 102 104 106

VISIONARY EXHIBITION What Remains Rachel Bensimon Audrey Fox Delta Daydreams | Mel Reese

110 112 113 114

VISIONARY FAIRS VISIONARY ARTIST DIRECTORY

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VICTORIA J. FRY A Dream, Long Forgotten (detail), watercolor on Arches paper, 12x9in

EDITOR’S NOTE VICTORIA J. FRY Founder of Visionary Art Collective + Editor in Chief of New Visionary Magazine

What an incredible year it’s been! Since January we’ve released another four issues of New Visionary Magazine, opened Warnes Contemporary Gallery in NYC, facilitated two in-person exhibitions and three online shows, and launched the second season of the New Visionary Podcast. Additionally, we’ve continued to increase our educational programming for emerging artists around the globe. As we continue to grow and expand, I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for our amazing readers, artists, collectors, and creatives. Our success is a testament to the support of our wonderful community. On behalf of the VAC team, I’m wishing you a restful and contemplative end to 2023. Xo Victoria 3

Meet the Visionary Team VICTORIA J. FRY she/her

BLAIR BEUSMAN she/her

VALERIE AUERSPERG she/her

Victoria J. Fry is a New York City-based painter, educator, curator, and the founder of Visionary Art Collective and New Visionary Magazine. Fry’s mission is to uplift artists through magazine features, exhibitions, podcast interviews, and mentorship. She earned her MAT from Maine College of Art & Design and her BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

Blair Beusman is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. She graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in literary theory. She has worked for a variety of cultural publications and organizations, including The New Yorker, Literary Hub, and PEN America.

Valerie Auersperg is a self-taught artist, illustrator and designer living in Auckland, New Zealand. She describes her work as a dose of optimism with a sprinkle of escapism. When she is not painting on canvases or walls she works as a graphic designer and illustrator for companies in New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria and the U.S.

Editor in Chief

victoriajfry.com victoriajfry 4

Head Writer

blairharr.tumblr.com blair.beu

Graphic Designer + Artist Liaison

valerism.com iamvalerism

BRITTANY M. REID they/them

ERIKA B. HESS she/her

CHUN PARK they/them

Brittany M. Reid is a visual artist, creative strategist, and educator based in Upstate NY. Reid’s work explores the wide spectrum of nuanced human emotion through paper collages and acrylic paintings. When working with clients, they bridge the gap between art and technology, helping artists build digital fluency and develop sustainable creative practices.

Erika b Hess is a painter, curator, writer, and host of the I Like Your Work art podcast. Hess’s work has been exhibited nationally and featured in numerous publications. She lectures at various colleges and institutions while teaching at The Works, I Like Your Work’s professional practice membership.

Chunbum Park, also known as Chun, is an artist/writer, who received their MFA in Fine Arts Studio from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2022. Park’s main area of interest or focus lies within figurative painting, but they are also enthusiastic about all types of art, including performance and photography. Park wishes to promote emerging and mid-career artists who pioneer strong, original visions and ideas.

Writer

brittanymreid.com brittany.m.reid

www.erikabhess.com erikabhess

SUSO BARCIELA he/him

VERONICA PETTY she/her

EMMA HAPNER she/her

Suso Barciela, an art historian and critic, specializes in curating and coordinating exhibitions. He was trained at the University of Seville and the NODE Center in Berlin. His expertise in art criticism and cultural dissemination is reflected in his collaborations with national and international magazines. He has worked with international artists and is renowned for his blog “El Espacio Aparte” where he analyzes art and exhibitions in Seville and Madrid.

Veronica Petty is a PR professional and art advisor in NY. With a decade of marketing experience, she’s managed successful campaigns for AAF, PULSE Art Fair, Create!, KUNSTRAUM, VAC, and many individual artists and exhibitions. Veronica champions Latinx artists through Domingo Comms; featured in artnet, House Beautiful, and more. She’s currently VAC’s Director of Media Partnerships.

Emma Hapner is a New York City based artist and educator working primarily in oil on canvas to create figurative works that reclaim the language of classical painting from a woman’s perspective. She graduated from the New York Academy of Art with her MFA in 2022.

Writer

elespacioaparte.com forms.follow.function

Director of Media Partnerships

domingocomms.com domingocomms

www.chunbumpark.com chun.park.7

Administrative Assistant

www.emmahapner.com emmagracehapner 5

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

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Veronica Petty

FOUND

domingocomms.com domingocomms Veronica Petty is our Director of Media Relations for New Visionary Magazine and also founder of Domingo Comms. She is driven by a deep love for the arts and a passion for creating opportunities for artists. Beginning with an MA in Cultural and Creative Industries from King’s College London, Veronica’s journey has been an exploration of the diverse voices of the art world. As founder of Domingo Comms, Veronica draws inspiration from featuring artists and closely following the careers of talents such as Maria Yolanda Liebana and Maria Dusamp. Their exceptional work not only captivates her but also motivates her to continue seeking opportunities for Latinx and women artists, persistently highlighting their incredible contributions to the New York art scene. Witnessing her favorite artists’ careers flourish brings her profound joy and propels Domingo forward on its mission to celebrate and promote talented artists. Veronica curates exhibitions that align with her mission, such as the 2021 solo exhibition “Playground” by Francisco Donoso and the upcoming “The Psychic

Landscape” at NYC Culture Club in February 2024. These exhibitions feature artists like Paola de la Calle, Kathryn Godoy, Marisol Ruiz, Francisco Donoso, whose works explore memory, borders, and identity. As our Director of Media Relations, Veronica finds new and engaging opportunities to broaden the reach and influence of our magazine. This includes establishing partnerships with galleries, art fairs, bookstores, and more. Her most cherished aspect of her role is witnessing people’s reactions to the magazine, their appreciation for the exceptional production quality, and, most notably, their admiration for the artwork featured in each issue. “Last month, we had the privilege of collaborating with the Affordable Art Fair, personally delivering individual magazines to over 70 galleries,” Veronica says, reflecting on a recent highlight. “Engaging with gallerists, discussing the significance of printed publications, and hearing their praise for Issue 7 was such a great experience and I’m so excited for what’s to come in the new year.”

Veronica Petty in front of artwork by Maria Yolanda Liebana 6

TEAM SPOTLIGHT

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Emma Hapner

www.emmahapner.com emmagracehapner Emma Hapner studied at the New York Academy of Art to receive her Master’s of Fine Arts with a concentration in painting. Hapner is originally from Indiana and received her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Ball State University. She works primarily in oil paint on canvas to create figurative works, reclaiming the language of classical paintings from a woman’s perspective.

In many works, she also uses clothing, costumes, and stage poses that draw on elements of fantasy and storytelling, almost as if she was playing a game of dressup. The clothing we wear can completely change our outlook and attitude; a pair of heels can give the mindset of wearing a suit of armor. Each different outfit allows Hapner to slip into a different identity.

To Hapner, the color pink is a symbol of unapologetic femininity. She paints her figures in pink worlds and looks to motifs from classical antiquity to celebrate traditional painting from her perspective: A woman seeking to understand the intricacies of womanhood.

Embracing her love of pink is important to Hapner, as a woman and an artist. By immersing multiple figures in a hot pink space, she hopes to depict the intimate, tumultuous, and ever-changing relationship with oneself. Conventionally, soft pink has been a color for little girls, but in Hapner’s work she uses more intense shades of quinacridone red, magenta, and fluorescent pink to embrace both sensuality and power.

Hapner’s paintings focus on the duality of womanhood that she has experienced, exploring the desire to embody the power and sexuality that exist alongside her interest in beauty, softness, and “girly” traits, acknowledging that one does not detract from the other.

Girls Best Friend, oil on canvas, 70x80in

Siren Song, oil on canvas, 24x30in 7

ARTIST JUAN ARANGO PALACIOS Machetazos (detail), oil on canvas, 48x40in 8

VISIONARY INTERVIEWS As part of our ongoing interview series, we chat with artists, curators, entrepreneurs, authors, and educators. Through these interviews we can gain a deeper understanding of the contemporary art world.

in conversation with Victoria J. Fry jarangopalacios.com juuuanitx

Your work centers on “queer identities that have been marginalized within a diasporic or migratory context.” How has your lived experience shaped your practice? My lived experience has always revolved around the issue of belonging. Growing up in a Catholic home in Colombia, I always knew that I wasn’t quite like all of my family and my peers. Not only was I different, but there was always this lingering guilt of not existing exactly how my family and the society in which I grew up expected me to exist. I further experienced this lack of belongingness when my family moved to the United States, where not only was I secretly queer, but I was the new kid, the kid that didn’t speak English, and the kid that came from an exotic place that was mysterious and unfamiliar to the people around me. My practice is my way of understanding and representing these different cultures that I participated in while living in Colombia, Louisiana, Texas, and Chicago. My work acknowledges all of these experiences that I went through and translates them into a specific visual vocabulary that tells stories not only of what was, but also what could have been, and what will come of my lived experience as a queer Latinx immigrant in the United States. In what ways did your training at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago influence your current style? My current artistic style is both an embracing and a rejection of what I learned at SAIC. While studying there, I was thrilled to learn about the research process, art history, and the creative process. I think about techniques and anecdotes taught to me by my professors every time I paint in the studio. For example, the many color theory classes I took are reflected in all of my works. I also like to put a great emphasis on composition and pictorial structure, which is something directly derived from my classes 10

Juan Arango Palacios

Pasada Por El Guadual, oil on canvas, 48x36in. 11

Pobre Diablos, oil on canvas, 40x30in 12

in the Painting department. Admittedly, however, I did not enjoy some of the conceptual abstraction that was heavily utilized at SAIC, because to me it seemed a bit pretentious and trendy. I like for my work to be direct, and widely understood by the majority of people. At the end of the day, my artistic practice is nothing but a form of story-telling, and I want my stories to be wellunderstood. You explore a wide range of mediums – from oil on canvas to woven tapestries and sculpture. What role does material play in your work? For me, materiality is a form of indulgence. I like to tell the stories through the materials that I use. Painting and drawing are boundless, and allow me to create images that exist within their own realities. Woven tapestries allow me to explore a process of making objects and images that is connected not only to an ancestral craft, but one that is also rooted in my family history. Sculpture brings my supernatural characters just one step closer to life. I constantly study and research these processes; in the line of thinking of Tarsila do Amaral’s anthropophagia, I absorb everything I see valuable in these materials and their histories, and reject those things which have no use to my practice. In recent years you’ve exhibited at a wide range of venues throughout the United States and overseas, including The Room Gallery in London, Jude Gallery in Chicago, and New Image Art in Los Angeles. What has been the most exciting part of sharing your work with a wider audience? The most exciting part of sharing my work with a wider audience has definitely been getting to travel and meeting amazing new people. I will never forget the day my solo show at the Room Gallery in London opened. So many artists and art students came to support me, and that’s when I realized that my work had a much greater impact than I realized. Another memorable moment was the opening of my solo show at Jude Gallery. That exhibit was inspired by Latin American music genres and on opening night, while listening to a DJ playing all of my favorite songs, one after another queer Latinx person came up to me, thanking me for the work I had made. Feeling this support across continents has only driven me to continue to make the work that I love making . What has been one of the most impactful moments in your art career so far? The most impactful moment in my art career was when I was able to quit my day job to work as a fulltime artist. While having this kind of lifestyle is certainly challenging, I would not give it up for anything in the

Bendecido, acrylic and vinyl on plaster, 20x20x36in.

world. I get to wake up every day, go into the studio, and create, learn, and grow as an artist. This is a privilege that I will be forever grateful for. Tell us what you’re currently working on in the studio, as well as any events that you’re gearing up for! I am currently working on my upcoming presentations at Art Week in Miami. I am exhibiting six new paintings with Selena’s Mountain at UNTITLED Art Fair. And I am also showing some of my textile works with local Miami gallery Spinello Projects. Art fairs are some of my favorite art world events because they bring people together, they tend to exhibit some of the best work out there, and they’re always a ton of fun! If you’re planning on being in Miami this December during Art Week, see you there!

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This mission eventually grew into founding the gallery. With this attempt in early 2022, I Co-founded the Gallery BETTER GO SOUTH with Tim Bengel and

I’ve always felt the need to find a creative outlet. Always been obsessed with art, visiting galleries, museums and art shows. I remember visiting an art fair for the first time, not having any insights of how the art market works - I felt the need to understand the correlations of things and started reading into it, comparing auction results and statistics. Tracing down the factors that contribute to a work of art increasing in value was incredibly exciting for me. Unfortunately there’s still a lot of inequality in this industry. I think that was the moment It subconsciously was very clear for me I wanted to work in this field and with those perceptions find a solution to support underrepresented artists. I think it’s very important in curating to balance newcomers alongside well known artists as we hope to create a stepping stone for those talents you might have never heard of (yet). Building up the Collection Studio Berkheim with Tim Bengel was super exciting and held so much energy for new exciting ideas we could bring to life. You’ll find names like Oli Epp, Avery Singer, Emma Stern, Travis Fish, Cristina Banban, Conny Maier and Chloe Wise in the collection. The attempt was bringing young contemporary art to the South of Germany and support talented voices of the young contemporary art landscape alongside more established names. In my opinion it influences a community and growing up in Stuttgart, Germany, I definitely felt the need to make some changes and make young contemporary art from all around the world more visible and create an exchange in my city.

You have many artistic interests, as a Gallery Director at Better Go South, a Co-director at Studio Berkheim, as a collector, and as a curator. What made you want to work in the art field?

in conversation with Emma Hapner bettergosouth.com leo.dorsch

TTER GO S O

Leo Dorsch

BE AT OR

Michael Preuss. It‘s still our mission to bring art to the south of Germany, yet we have a second space in Berlin and also run a residency project there as it‘s not only about our mission but about finding ways to give a platform to the artists we work with and Berlin as the capital of Germany and melting pot definitely makes a lot of sense. When did you first start curating, and what do you love most about it? The first public exhibition I curated wasn‘t too long ago actually. It was a show called ‘Don‘t Go South‘ in 2021 with US based Jamian Juliano-Villani, Tau Lewis, Allison Zuckerman, London based Elsa Rouy and Olivia Sterling, that are championed by my friends from GUTS Gallery, Paris based Oh De Laval, such as German artists like Cathrin Hoffmann and many more. All the works in the show went to the permanent collection of Studio Berkheim and it was important for us to create an exchange about art in an area you usually wouldn‘t expect that. Many artists were able to make it for the opening and even though they lived in the same city for years before, they met for the first time in Stuttgart at this event. For me that was one of the coolest things to see those people now working together or keeping this connection and it makes me feel like we’ve been able to have a tiny beautiful impact on people and their paths. Stuttgart is a very car dominated city you might have heard of in this context as it is the hometown of Porsche and Mercedes. There‘s a lot of potential, yet a huge lack in the representation of young contemporary art so we’re on it. Bringing a vision to life is my favorite part, this energy that starts evolving once a project is coming to life is just incomparable and makes up for the sleepless nights. As a young woman, you have already accomplished so much in a traditionally male-dominated field. What advice would you give other young women who are considering a career working in the art world? It‘s definitely not a 9 to 5. If you consider a career in this field, do it out of passion. There‘s still a lot of work to do in order to break the tightened roles of the art world especially when it comes to inequality and gender roles. I‘m confident this will change for the better step by step though and I‘d encourage anyone to add to that.

Leo Dorsch at a panel talk with Porsche Brand Store in Stuttgart

What do you love most about your work? One of my favorite parts is the exchange with the creative people I luckily get to work with. Studio visits are one of the best parts, connecting dots, bringing people together that otherwise wouldn‘t have exchanged thoughts and ideas. That’s always inspiring. Are you currently working on any projects? We’d love to hear about them! I am indeed. During Berlin Art week 2023 we (BETTER GO SOUTH Gallery) have presented a solo exhibition by Chicago based artist Thérèse Mulgrew who painted in our residency in Berlin. Now I‘m currently working towards a group show called Daily Poison starting October 12th in Stuttgart. It‘s an international line up as usual. Atlanta based Carter Flachbarth, Paris based Laure Mary-Couegnias, next to Aiste Stancikaite I recently finally visited in her studio - and many more.

Aiste is originally from Lithuania and now based in Berlin. Her body of work caught my attention right away. In the depiction of her characters she renounces from stereotypical indications of gender identification. She’s able to create such depths with her almost alien like figures in monochrome tones, purple, red and blue. The element of the glove got me excited and brings a very intimate and sensual perspective to the curation of Daily Poison - I’m really looking forward to this one.

What/who inspires you the most? That‘s a tough one to narrow down. There are so many things and great creative people inspiring me on a daily basis. A main part is definitely other women working in arts. Very recently I‘d say art historian Katy Hessel with the book she published in 2022 titled ”The Story of Art without Men” - I can definitely recommend. Such an outstanding and important project.

Leo Dorsch with Tim Bengel (left) and Ál Varo Tavares d’Guilherme (right) at the Opening of the ‘Don’t Go South’ exhibition at Studio Berkheim 17

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Connecting with other people was key to building my career I believe, and one job led to another and

SID

My next job was with the late Margo Chase as her studio manager. She was an incredibly talented graphic designer who did primarily music packaging and movie posters (Madonna, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, etc). I got to learn about design from the inside and work with very high profile creatives in different sectors. At night I’d do design projects for free for people or companies I wanted to work with eventually. This helped me get my foot in the door to different companies and build my portfolio quickly with work that was more cutting edge.

I’ve always been ambitious and goal oriented. I moved to Los Angeles in 1992 to pursue my MFA, but financially was unable to do it. My first job in LA was as a maid working for a company called Maids of Honor. Of course it was pretty awful, and LA is a very expensive city compared to Ohio, where I am originally from, so I needed to find something new that wasn’t so horrible. My first goal was to gain more marketable skills so I didn’t have to scrub toilets anymore, so I got a job at a service bureau (old school graphic designers will know what that is!). It was called Raging Fingers, on the corner of Sunset and Vine in the heart of Hollywood which was pretty sketchy then. They rented computers by the hour to the public for color prints and also “ran film” for 4-color printing. There were a lot of designers that came in, so I began to learn the trade that way, plus, I learned all the latest design software for free when it was slow.

You’re the former art director for Warners Bros, Urban Outfitters, and Hollywood Records amongst others. What inspired you to venture into a creative role within high profile businesses, and how did these experiences influence your current role as a gallery director?

AirStudios.art

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in conversation with Victoria J. Fry jentough.com jentoughgallery

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Jen Tough

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Group show ‘Fable’

another. One similarity I’ve found in the commercial art world and the fine art world, is that gatekeepers and decision makers put a lot of weight on your past experiences. I even had someone give me a job based on my past work with Nike, saying, “Well, if Nike hired you, I guess I will too”. It’s the same with galleries and artists. If an artist is with a good gallery, it gives them an advantage with even better galleries, so they can climb the ladder. My past career has influenced me in that it is easier and quicker for me to decide if I like the work an artist is creating. I can look at work extremely fast due to decades of just.... looking. The variety of marketing and branding experience at a variety of companies, along with the retail merchandising and campaign experience from Urban Outfitters and Nike have been massively influential in designing gallery spaces, fair booths and my curation. I can’t imagine I could do all of this without my past professional experience. I guess I’d have to hire a lot of people if I didn’t know this stuff! Tell us about how the Jen Tough Gallery has evolved since you first opened in The Bay Area in 2017. When I first opened, I honestly was pretty naive about what I was doing, but I was excited to get back to my first love: fine art. I have a very close friend who owns a gallery in Los Angeles (Richard Heller), so I did rely on him for his advice over the years. Today, post-COVID, I no longer represent artists like I used to in the beginning, and instead work on consignment agreements for a specific piece or body of work with a limited number of artists I have worked with in the past. I think the old representation model is dying industry wide for smaller and mid-tier galleries. Not as many galleries exclusively represent, or claim

exclusivity for a geographical area. The Internet has made this old model very difficult for both artist and gallery. It’s too difficult to know where a buyer found the artist, and therefore, who should get commission. It’s unsustainable for smaller galleries today I believe, and sadly, that’s where emerging artists get their first breaks. Luckily, there is no better time to be an independent artist without a gallery, so artists need to invest in themselves by showing on their own whenever possible to get that exposure. How has your community, The Artist Alliance, supported and provided opportunities for artists? The Artist Alliance is a great place for connecting with other artists and learning about the “biz” side of the industry. I believe the key to success for artists today is the relationships they build, so it’s a great step in that direction without a huge amount of effort. Currently we have just under 1200 members, and it’s ALL art, no politics or food pics like on Facebook. The Artist Alliance makes it easy to connect with artists of all levels from all over the world. Where else can you connect with other professionally-minded artists on your phone while waiting for the dentist? We also have a lot of Zoom workshops, by me or others in the field. Recently we had Archivist Amy Cowart for example, and Redwood Art Group, who gave a nice discount on fairs exclusively for our members. We also have stay-in-place residencies every quarter, which has been very popular with members because they can get feedback from other members, stay focused, and have a lot of accountability to keep them on track. We also have exhibitions on Artsy for members, which I think is one of the best benefits because it’s a gallery-only platform.

Art by Sarah Boyts Yoder from her solo show ‘Realm’ 20

Art by Kathleen Mooney from her solo show

We’d love to hear about your latest project, Air (Artist in Residence) Studios in Santa Fe. What led you to launch this initiative? I know now, without a doubt, that most collectors (outside of blue chip or works over $50K) would rather buy from the artist directly, and have that connection with them. AIR Studios was born from this premise. At AIR, artists can rent a studio by the week (up to a month). The studios are for self-directed residencies or to show and sell work at our open studios happening every weekend—or both. Some artists just want a self-directed residency, to experience our famous Santa Fe light and get away from life’s distractions, and some artists rent studios and set up a small solo exhibition of current work just for our open studios held every weekend.

What advice would you give to emerging artists who are ready to work with galleries? Show your work as often as possible, and in a variety of venues and locations, online and off. Meet people. Invest in your art career. Don’t be afraid to create the career YOU want.... there are no rules to this. No artist can make it anymore without investing in themselves. Don’t wait to be “discovered”...you and only you have to make it happen. Make meaningful connections with other artists and art professionals. Be nice. Be true to your own voice. Be grateful. Be enthusiastic. Work harder than you thought possible. And don’t give up your dreams.

Our open studios are a fantastic way to connect with other artists who are also there along art lovers and collectors in the Santa Fe market, the third largest art market in the US, all for very little financial investment. Studios start at $300 a week, and artists earn 100% on sales. I love providing a platform for artists to show and sell their work. It’s much more sustainable and beneficial for all. 21

ARTIST SAMEH KHALATBARI

2 1401 22 N/m Resistance - No.5 Zan (Woman in Farsi) (detail), mixed media, 30x50in

VISIONARY WORDS In this section we invite contributing writers to share their perspectives on contemporary art, education, and other notes of interest related to visual arts.

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Artists’ Open Studio: How to Throw an Art Party and Why You Absolutely Should

written by Erika b Hess

Hosting an open studio is like throwing a house party for your art, yet, more often than not, the prep work, fear of an empty guest list, or concerns about your studio’s location make many artists hesitate to take the plunge. That is why I put together this quick list to take away some of the concerns and let you enjoy putting together a party for your work and fellow art lovers. GET READY 1 Who and Where There are a lot of different ways you can set up an Open Studio. The classic is at your studio with only your work, but you can also invite other artists to join in. Maybe you want to ask neighboring studios if they want to open their doors too! Think about who you want to include and where you want it to be. 2 Tidy Up and Organize Declutter your space so that visitors can clearly see your work. This may mean painting the walls and cleaning up surfaces that can be distracting. I think of it as work I need to do anyway so why not do it and then celebrate with a party? 3 Curate Your Collection Don’t leave everything you have ever made up. Instead, highlight the works you’re excited to talk about, and if you’re in the market for some sales, make sure those pieces are up for grabs. 4 Promote A major part is getting the word out there. Share your open studio plans on social media and newsletters, and don’t be shy to ask your friends to spread the word too. After all, it’s a party, and what’s a party without guests? 5 Prepare to Speak About Your Art Practice your elevator pitch and be ready to share about your work and process. Be ready to share and shine a light on what you love to do! 24

6 Create a Welcoming Atmosphere Treat your guests to tea or a glass of wine and some snacks. They can work wonders for conversation flow. 7 Pricing and Sales If you’re looking to make some sales, be prepared. Have price lists and payment options ready. A FEW REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD HAVE AN OPEN STUDIO 1 Forge Meaningful Connections Connect with people in your community who care about the arts and what you do. Providing a time for people to come together is powerful, and who doesn’t love art and snacks? 2 You Are a Professional Open Studios are a way to communicate you are dedicated to what you do and are a professional artist. When there aren’t exhibitions happening yearly, this is a way to keep eyes on your work. 3 Have Fun! Invite friends to come out, or include their work with yours! Making it a group effort can take away the pressure and allow you to connect with the people you care about. So, there you have it – your ticket to open studio success. Remember, it’s about the art, but it’s also about the connections and the fun so, unlock those studio doors and let the art party begin!

ALYCIA EARHART, The Picnic (detail), acrylic on canvas, 36x36in 25

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The Digital-Analog Dance: Balancing Tools in Your Creative Practice

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written by Brittany M. Reid

Finding the right blend of digital and analog tools is like finding the right ingredients for the recipe that is your creative journey. Combining these skills serves to maintain a healthy equilibrium between the work you do and the goals you hope to achieve. Whether you’re running an art business or just trying to find a smoother creative process, it’s all about finding that sweet spot. Digital skills can be an artist’s best friend. They increase efficiency and leave you with more time to focus on creating by making tasks like project management, digital asset organization, and budgeting easier. Collaborating and communicating with other artists becomes effortless with apps like Slack and Discord, while tools like Notion and Milanote let you track creative goals and stay inspired through the creation of visual mood boards. While apps and digital platforms can be convenient amenities, it’s just as important to build concrete technical skills. For example, if you want to offer prints, you’ll need to understand file resolution. If you want to create and maintain a portfolio website, you’ll need to have some

fundamental web design skills. Having basic photo-editing knowledge allows you to enhance your visuals. Outside of the more business-oriented tasks, trying out digital mediums like collage and illustration can be a great way to flex a new creative muscle. Conversely, analog tools bring balance to a chronically online world. The tactile experience of working with physical materials keeps us in sync with our bodies and helps us self-regulate—the feel of paper, the viscosity of paint, or the weight of a brush in your hand. Analog activities provide a much-needed break from screens. These breaks can be transformative, giving us fresh eyes and granting our minds a chance to wander and explore new ideas. In your creative journey, there is no right or wrong answer. Balancing digital and analog tools is about finding the best mix for you. Test the waters, embrace both, and take notice of what works and what doesn’t. But most of all, enjoy the ride.

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Jin Jeong: The Cosmic Energy Connecting the Womb with the Mountains

written by Chunbum Park

In the western philosophy, there is the mind-body problem that asks how it is possible that consciousness can arise from matter. The famous Einstein equation states that energy and matter are convertible and the same. This hints to the answers that we seek about the nature of our existence in the cosmos. If we were to look elsewhere, to an entirely new set of belief systems and perspectives, would we be able to find what we were looking for? Jin Jeong, the painter originating from South Korea and a recent Hunter MFA graduate, follows the ancient Chinese religion and philosophy of Taoism and visualizes these profound questions through painting, in her exhibition titled “Air Pockets” at the Half Gallery – on view from May 16th to June 10th, 2023. Jin Jeong’s painting practice is informed by Buddhism and Taoism – the former originating from India and the latter from China. How does a Korean-American artist convey the transcendental ideas of these big religions through a renewed contemporary lens? In what ways are Jin Jeong’s paintings and the classical works from antiquity in China (and Korea) similar and different, contributing to the current dialogue in painting? In the ancient Chinese philosophy and religion of Taoism, energy or Qi, which comprises everything in the universe, follows the way of the universe, or tao. According to the Taoist beliefs, tao was at the beginning of the universe as a silent void, and it spawned the structure of the universe, inherently paired into binary opposition of yin and yang. In painting, too, we have the opposite pairs or directions in the case of light and dark, warm and cool, saturated and unsaturated, and so on. But these are merely ideas of classification and the making of a coherent and orderly system in understanding light and color. 28

The intricacy, harmony, beauty, dynamism, and structure and order of Jin Jeong’s paintings cannot be explained by binary opposition only. Tao, which is the way of the universe, is inherent to the artist and every being that resides in it. A leopard does not need to figure out how to be a leopard. It simply is, and there is a way. In the context of art, Tao must be equivalent to the inner necessity discussed by Wassily Kandinsky or the raw vision that is internal to the artist. For the leopard, there is up and down, forwards and backwards, and yin and yang. But the leopard’s hunting is a form of art, driven by inner instinct and the dynamic interplay of decisions and movements. The painter, too, utilizes organic and geometric language to capture the core of an original vision on the canvas. The vision is internal to the artist’s psyche and spirit. It follows the way of the universe, or the tao, by balancing the many forms and colors that are held together by both human reason and the unexplainable or the unknown. The paintings by Jin Jeong represent surreal landscapes that also become bodies suggesting the aerodynamic, fluidity, and the feminine. Eastern peoples traditionally believed that mountains symbolized the bodies of resting dragons. It is also said that the traditional religious Taoist paintings envisioned the human body as a landscape. Per the ideas of divine correspondence, different deities occupy the various parts of the landscape, which are often described with the “Five Elements” or the “Five Directions,” just as the human body has four appendages and a head. Jin Jeong, too, is depicting the human body as the visual metaphor for the primordial state of the cosmos – in particular, the womb. What initially looks like a mountainscape turns into a cross sectional image of the body with its many layers of organs, walls, and fluids. Perhaps the paintings are inviting us to return to the origin of our being as energy stored in the protein molecules and

cellular structures, before winning the race to the egg and being born as humans. Conceiving of our being as energy essentially blurs the boundary between humans, animals, plants, stars, machines, and other forms of being. What was it like before we were born into this macroscopic human world? Maybe we were dreamers bathing in the warmth of light and energy, communicating with one another via vibrations and means of quantum communication that particles and energy are endowed with. A favorite in the exhibition is “Between Arizona and California” (2023) because the almost-surrealistic vision is so lucid and clearly formed with the colors of a Southwestern landscape, and the painting is not an accident of experimentation but the outcome of a pure dream internal to the artist. The painting is so intensely and strongly defined, with each part belonging to the other in a continuous and flawless illusion. It is a monumental tribute to the American landscape that colors the psyche of every person living there with its sublime and abstract qualities of an extraterrestrial desert. It should be made very clear that Jin Jeong’s paintings are not landscapes in the traditional sense. Her works are simultaneously a case of abstraction, at the same time a metaphorical body, and paradoxically a landscape that defies the 3-dimensional Euclidean space (just as the ancient Taoist and Chinese paintings strayed away from the rule of traditional perspective found in the European paintings since the Renaissance, by depicting isometric spaces). A Taoist masterpiece that may have served as an inspiration for Jin Jeong is the “Spring Dawn at the Elixir Terrace” by Wen Boren (1502-1575), during the Ming Dynasty – now in the collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. It depicts a mountainous landscape that

rhythmically sways left and right from the viewer’s point of view in the center of the composition. The negative space is warm while the positive space of the mountainous terrain is colored in light and cool grays. Above the rocky formations, a lone Taoist scholar prepares an elixir – one of the many that were promised in the traditional Taoist texts. The repetition of the rounded rocks and formations bring a sense of cohesion and the quality of meditative depth to the image. This repeating quality also reminds us of the repeating circular forms (which may be the reference point for the title of the exhibition, “Air Pockets”) that are unified by the fluid-like layers and rhythmic movements of the surrounding colors and forms. The fluidity of Jin Jeong’s images may also reference the elixir that the Taoists were so keen on discovering to extend the longevity of human life. Perhaps it was never the point of Taoism to promise the discovery of the elixirs because we are all energy and indestructible, per the first law of thermodynamics. Jin Jeong’s paintings are, in fact, revelations of a way of being and the way of the world that would manifest prior to and after our time as humans. Phenomena such as the Near Death Experience (NDE) suggests that there is a life before birth and after death. While no Taoist has ever succeeded in discovering the elixir of eternal life as promised by the religion and philosophy, Jin Jeong knows the tao and the means of expressing it as a (complex) simplicity through painting. The great beauty of her paintings is enough to satisfy the requirements of our current existence, without the need to discover the elixir of eternal life. References: Taoism and the Arts of China by Stephen Little (with Shawn Eichman). Copyright 2000 by The Art Institute of Chicago (in association with the University of California Press).

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Contemporary Art & Sustainability

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written by Suso Barciela

Contemporary art, as a cultural and creative manifestation of our time, has found sustainability to be a recurring and relevant theme that reflects not only the concerns of modern society and artists but also the need to address pressing issues related to the environment and social responsibility. This symbiosis has become a significant channel of expression, a platform for protest, and a tool to promote environmental awareness and positive change in the world. Throughout history, the contemporary art scene has positioned itself as a space where artists can explore, reflect upon, and critique the environmental crisis. Fortunately, this has now become almost a trend. Through painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and even conceptual art, contemporary artists address topics such as climate change, ecosystem degradation, loss of biodiversity, and the overexploitation of natural resources. Art serves as a showcase to sensitize the public to the environmental challenges we face. Sustainability is manifested in artistic practice through the use of recycled and reused materials, with environmentally committed artists adopting the idea that waste can be transformed into works of art. This trend not only reduces the ecological footprint of artistic production but also raises questions about consumption and waste in today’s society, always with artistic intent and purpose.

Contemporary art often embraces ephemerality as a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life and the importance of regeneration in the natural world. Temporary installations and artworks that evolve over time emphasize the need to care for and preserve our natural resources for future generations, in a way becoming a form of environmental and social activism. Many artists now use their work to advocate for environmental change and justice, encouraging the audience to take collective responsibility in protecting the planet, challenging policies and practices that contribute to the environmental crisis, and promoting informed habits and a conscious relationship with the natural environment. The intersection of contemporary art and sustainability promotes interdisciplinary dialogue among artists, scientists, activists, and environmental experts. This collaboration fosters the generation of innovative solutions and expands public understanding of complex environmental issues, encouraging young creators to be more aware of the significant environmental problem humanity faces and to create art in a sustainable manner.

RYAN HORTON, By Way Of Water, digital mixed media, 16x20in

5 TIPS FOR MAXIMIZING STUDIO TIME visionaryartcollective.com/educational-resources

KEEP YOUR STUDIO SPACE TIDY & FIND SYSTEMS OF ORGANIZATION THAT WORK FOR YOU.

It might sound obvious, but working in a neat and organized space allows you to think clearer and as a result, increase productivity. Knowing where all of your supplies are located at any given moment allows you to easily grab what you need, without fumbling around to find them. As artists it can be easy to get lost in the creative process, and sometimes the last thing we want to do after creating is deal with the clean up. Carve out time to re-organize and tidyup your space on a consistent basis. It will pay off!

TAKE INVENTORY OF WHAT YOU NEED, AND HAVE EXTRA SUPPLIES ON HAND IF POSSIBLE.

Before starting a new series of work (or even a single artwork) take time to make sure that you have exactly what you need down to every last brush and tube of paint. It’s always a good idea to have additional supplies on hand so that you don’t run out mid-way through creating. Every so often, sit down in your studio and take inventory of the materials you have - make notes of what you’re getting low on, and make a plan to stock up. When the materials we need are accessible to us, it helps the art-making process to go quicker and smoother!

BRING EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR YOUR STUDIO SESSION (SNACKS, WATER, HEADPHONES, ETC.) TO ALLOW FOR MAXIMUM PRODUCTIVITY.

Before entering the studio - whether it’s a home studio or a rented space - make sure that you have everything you need for that particular session. Have snacks and water available, your favorite podcast episode downloaded, rags or paper towels, and anything else you might need. Before you leave for the day, prepare your materials for the next session so that you can easily jump back in when you return. 32

BLOCK OUT TIME TO CREATE AND STICK TO IT.

One of the most challenging aspects of the creative process is carving out time to consistently work on our art. When you are writing our your weekly goals, block out specific days and times that you will dedicate to your practice. For those of us who work multiple jobs or wear many hats, we need to find time to create when we can. This might be 2 hours one weekend, or 20 minutes one evening. No matter the length of time you have to create, choose 2 or 3 time slots during the week (or whatever you can fit in your schedule!) to dedicate to your practice and stick to it. The other part of this? Hold yourself accountable. It can be easy to cancel plans that we make with ourselves. Consider your art practice as a non-negotiable part of your life that you must show up for - even if it’s in 15 minute blocks of time!

KEEP IT FRESH.

Periodically clean out your studio and remove or store away older work. It can be easy for our studio spaces to become cluttered with supplies, artwork, tools and materials. Keep out only what you need or what serves to inspire you. Don’t be too precious when it comes to keeping old work on display - store it away safely to make room for exciting new work! ADDITIONAL TIPS:

No matter what kind of space you’re working in, keep it as your sacred art-making place! It might be the corner of your guest room, an office that you converted into a home studio, or a rented art studio - but regardless of the size, it’s important to carve out a designated space to create your work. Take care of this space and your work will prosper! See our free downloadable guide, “Tips for Setting Up a Home Studio” for guidance on how to organize a home studio space.

Join the

ARTIST GLOW-UP PROGRAM ARTIST, READY TO TRANSFORM YOUR ART CAREER IN 12 WEEKS? In this powerful online course, Victoria J. Fr y provides you with targeted support in key areas of your art career to help you build a strong foundation from which you can reach your goals.

The program includes: 12 group sessions with Victoria in a supportive environment (90mins each) Proven tools and strategies to increase visibility & sell your work Opportunities to share your work and receive specific feedback Email support in between sessions Plus established guest speakers from the art world who share their knowledge & wisdom with you Victoria will focus on strategies and tools to grow your collector base, increase sales, exhibit your work, and move through creative blocks

SP OTS ARE LIMITED! for more information and to sign up, go to visionaryartcollective.com

ARTIST APRIL WERLE

“I 34belong to my family”, acrylic and stain on wood panel, 36x36in

VISIONARY ARTISTS TI

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Victoria J. Fry is a New York City-based painter, educator, curator, and the founder of Visionary Art Collective, New Visionary Magazine and Warnes Contemporary Gallery. Since launching VAC in 2020, Fry has worked with over 200+ artists to help them advance their art careers. As part of her mission to increase visibility for artists, she partners up with top curators and gallerists to facilitate virtual and in-person exhibitions. Additionally, Fry has been a guest speaker for the Women’s Caucus of Art in Washington D.C, Superfine Art Fair in NYC, Photo Trouvée Magazine, The Art Queens Society, and Huron River Art Collective. She has curated exhibitions for Create! Magazine, Arts to Hearts Project, The Artful Collective, and recently served as a juror for Women’s United Art Prize. She hosts the New Visionary Podcast. Fry obtained her BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2012 and her MAT from Maine College of Art in 2014.

This issue of New Visionary Magazine is curated by Victoria J. Fry of Visionary Art Collective

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Marie Aublé

www.marieauble.com marieaublemdz Marie Aublé spent her adolescence in the heart of la forêt de la Double in Périgord, France, and her work reflects her intimate connection to nature. There is a sense of drama in her landscapes—Aublé studied scenography and theater history—which convey both a sense of tension and of reverie. “In the forest, even alone, you are never alone: the noises, the wind, the moving shapes accompany you, there are always eyes to spy on you

and the imagination runs wild,” she says. Her work brings to life verdant vegetation overrunning fallen trees, rock faces, abandoned train tracks; the nature she captures is powerful and mysterious. Aublé studied art at the Art University of Bordeaux. She currently lives and works between Eure and Oise.

Le Chemin d’E ., Serial Errance(s) Par Procuration # 1, oil on canvas, 39x39in

The Magic Hills, Serial Errance(s) Par Procuration #4, oil on canvas, 39x39in

The Hidden Valley, Serial Errance(s) Par Procuration # 2, oil on canvas, 47x39in

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Timothy J Bergeron

tjbergeronartist.wixsite.com/artist t.j._bergeronart Timothy J. Bergeron’s paintings revel in the colors and textures of the woodlands he grew up wandering through. As a child, the forest was a site of respite and play; through his work, he revisits his fond memories of being in nature, capturing the sensory experience of losing oneself among the trees. Bergeron creates what he describes as micro and macro landscapes. In the former, he hones in on smaller details, depicting crisp fallen leaves and grasses sprouting up from the forest floor. These works

are so closely and intensely observed that they border on abstraction. Recently, he has been creating pieces centered around charred firewood being reclaimed by the environment, a subtle representation of the impression man leaves on nature—and a reminder that it will ultimately outlast our impact. Bergeron is an artist and educator with a B.F.A. and M.F.A. from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. His work has been exhibited throughout the northeastern U.S.

Blossom, acrylic and ink on panel, 16x20in 38

Embrace, acrylic and ink on panel, 24x18in 39

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Steph Blondet

stephblondet.com stephblondetart Steph Blondet’s textured, sculptural paintings explore themes of self-growth and healing. Growing up, Blondet often felt restricted in expressing herself and grappled with the societal expectations placed on women. Her artistic process became a place to explore herself and the forces that formed her—and how she could recombine those forces to manifest her own vision. In her pieces, sculpted lines wind across textured wood panels,

demarcating the vivid backgrounds they lie upon to create new forms. The gently curving lines impose their own order while suggesting connectedness, offering a vision of what creativity and self-expression can accomplish for both an individual and the world around her. Blondet grew up taking private art classes; her work is held in private collections in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

You Are Beautiful, textured clay and acrylic on canvas, 8x8in

Authentically You, textured clay and acrylic on canvas, 8x8in

Finding Yourself, textured clay and acrylic on wood panel, 16x12in 41

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Sarah E. Boyle

saraheboyle.com saraheboyle_painting Sarah E. Boyle’s “Night Windows” series takes its name from Edward Hopper’s 1928 painting, and her images, like his, offer a voyeuristic view into the dwellings of anonymous city residents. The project provides a tantalizing glimpse of other lives; there is a sense of both intimacy and distance, creating a poignant feeling of loneliness. The interplay between the dark facades and vibrant interiors heightens this sense and situates the viewer as firmly an outsider. Boyle has been working on

the series for sixteen years; it has included miniatures, paper collages, and paintings. Through her work, Boyle seeks to capture the lasting impression of place and the way our environments define us. Boyle holds a B.F.A. in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; her work has been featured in Hyperallergic, Artnet News, and Vanity Fair U.K., among others, and has been shown in exhibitions across the U.S.

After Hopper’s New York, 01.02.2023, oil on wood panel, 9x12in

805, New York North Hudson, 01.02.2023, oil on wood panel, 9x12in

On 10th in Greenwich, 01.02.2023, oil on wood panel, 9x12in 43

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Hannah Burnworth

manchestermilkhouse.com milkhousestudio Hannah Burnworth creates collages out of envelopes, handmade paper, and recycled student artwork, which she stitches together with a sewing machine—a process that celebrates traditional women’s work. Burnworth sees thread as a rich metaphorical space; she is the thread that binds her family, and her pieces tie her to the matriarchs who labored and crafted to provide care throughout history. Her most recent work is inspired by vessels, which are deeply associated with the feminine. The womb is a form of a vessel, and throughout their lives, women carry

within themselves a range of things: hope, responsibility, compassion, joy. The series, which incorporates related circles, is currently evolving to represent cycles of growth—how we are continually transforming but contain all that we need within ourselves. Burnworth is an artist, art educator, and the founder of Milk House Gallery. Her work has been exhibited across the U.S. and featured in numerous publications. This spring, she will participate in her first museum exhibition at the Indiana State Museum.

Each New Layer, paper and thread, 36x48in 44

Each New Layer (detail), paper and thread, 36x48in

Avian Veil, paper and thread, 20x40in 45

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Jiwoo Choi

www.jiwooart.com artist_jiwoo.choi Jiwoo Choi’s paintings capture private, subtle emotions ones that might feel too trivial or nuanced to express - and render them in their full beauty and complexity. Her palates range from delicate pastels to almost manically bright hues, illuminating the full range of her subjects. There is a softness to each of her images, conveying a sense of tenderness and reverence. Feelings of connection and isolation form the bases of Choi’s work; she transforms everyday social situations, usually featuring women

around her age, into objects worthy of study and care. Beneath the opalescent sheen of her paintings lies a psychological complexity that could be overlooked, if not documented by such a careful observer of those around her. Choi holds an M.F.A. from the New York Academy of Art. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and featured in a variety of publications.

Two Characters, oil on canvas, 24x40in

Inner Landscape1, pastel on paper, 36x48in

The Moments, oil on canvas, 36x72in

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Alycia Earhart

www.oxbowstudiojewelry.com alyciaearhart.art Alycia Earhart’s still lifes are a celebration of ordinary moments that bring delight. The flat planes and bright colors comprising her tablescapes create a vibrant, festive mood, elevating everyday sources of beauty and happiness—fresh fruit, wine, verdant leaves sprouting from vases—to the realm of aesthetic pleasure. Her work “embraces the wonky, the whimsical, and the wonderful imperfections that come to life during the creation

process,” she says, and there is a distinctive sense of play in her paintings; each conveys a palpable sense of joy. Earhart owns her own jewelry studio, and she brings a similar approach to both crafts. Like her fine-arts practice, which vivifies the traditional genre of still-life painting, her jewelry craft takes an ancient technique, casting, and finds new life in it.

Palm & Chair, acrylic on canvas, 48x36in 48

A Good Evening, acrylic on canvas, 18x24in 49

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Thomas Flynn II

www.thomasflynnii.com thomasflynnii Through his landscapes, Thomas Flynn II seeks to capture more than the physical appearance of natural scenes—he aims to render the essence of these places. He paints on canvases with exposed, torn edges, emphasizing nature at each step of the process; the threads that hang loose from their edges emphasize our interwoven relationship with nature. He often uses found materials to mark the surface of these canvases, creating marks and textures unique to the site. Flynn allows gravity and chemistry to guide his bold, abstracted renderings, resulting in pieces that have been created in collaboration with the

environment they depict. Flynn travels to forests across the southern United States, hoping to capture their subtle energies and to impart the particular experience of each on the viewer. Flynn received a B.F.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design, which holds his work in its permanent collection. His art has been exhibited nationally and internationally and can be found in private and public collections across the world. He opened his first solo show this year at Vaughn Art Gallery in Austin, Texas, where he is currently represented.

Warmth of the Winter Sun, acrylic on canvas, 70x40in

Solar Hour, acrylic on flat canvas, 16x12in

Marie B Gauthiez

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Marie B. Gauthiez uses a variety of media—oil, acrylic, collage, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics—to explore the experience of memory loss. Her recent paintings grapple with Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on those afflicted with it, as well as on the loved ones who care for them. Her fabricated landscapes include repetitive, illogical elements that overwhelm and distort. The images offer a tantalizing glimpse of cohesion that is ultimately obscured; in her work, understanding lingers just out of reach. Gauthiez uses texture and pattern to embody the

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tactility of memories, which trigger biochemical changes in our bodies. What happens when it becomes impossible to make sense of them? The experience is a sorrowful one, but it contains joy as well, in the threads of love and connection that bind us together and that exist beyond recollection. Gauthiez is a French-American artist and art educator. She was awarded the Van Swearingen Merit Award in 2022 and has exhibited in group shows across the U.S.

The Flood, oil on wood panel, 30x24in 52

I Tas The World In Which I Walked, oil on panel, 30x24in

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Xenia Gray

xenia.gray Xenia Gray explores emotion through paintings of the human body. She uses oil paint, acrylic, and charcoal to create moody, figurative images, often in muted palettes with a pop of color. Gray grew up in Siberia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and her aesthetics are heavily influenced by the industrial environment of her hometown and the sense of uncertainty she had coming of age there. In her youth, she was encouraged to hide

her vulnerability, and her artwork offers her a place to explore the feelings she wasn’t able to voice. The resulting works feel melancholy, but there is also an undeniable sense of tenderness and beauty. Gray moved to the U.S. after attending university in St. Petersburg. Her work was recently shown in a solo exhibition in Washington, D.C.

Sun, acrylic paint, charcoal on canvas, 24x24in

Content, acrylic paint, charcoal on canvas, 35x35in

Pisces, acrylic paint, charcoal on canvas, 24x36in 55

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Alexis Herman

alexishermanstudio.com alexishermanstudio Alexis Herman’s richly saturated, hyperrealistic oil paintings capture the regulating and meditative qualities of water. Gazing at one of her paintings, the viewer is immediately immersed; light plays across ripples and waves that extend across the canvas, creating a sense of tranquility. Water has always been important to Herman, who surfs and sails, and who spent countless hours playing in creeks and the ocean during her childhood. In her adult life, her relationship to water has become more profound, as it’s become an object of fascination and a source of calm for her son, who is neurodivergent.

Her work honors their connection and the way the sea is able to soothe them both. It isn’t only the subject of Herman’s paintings that brings her peace, however; it’s also the process of creating them. “Water forces me into the present moment where other thoughts are blocked out,” she says. “When I am submerged in the practice of painting water, a weightless tranquility envelops me; I feel at home.” Herman has been featured in several publications and exhibited across the U.S., Her work is held in private collections across the world.

Navigation No. 2, oil on canvas, 36x36in

Forming No. 8, oil on canvas, 60x48in

Forming No. 2, oil on canvas, 60x48in

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Ryan Horton

hortoniconicdesigns.com iconic.dsgns Before he became a full-time artist, Ryan Horton trained as an architect and worked as a graphic designer. The breadth of his experience is apparent in his practice, which encompasses digital collages, single-line paintings, and illustrations. His pieces often juxtapose seemingly dissonant elements—muted images and bold forms, photographic mashups and abstracted shapes— to interrogate our ideas of perception and self-image, concepts that have deep resonance to him as a Black man

living in America. The series featured here centers the sun, which appears above bodies in various natural and man-made environments. The visages are human-like, but only vaguely so; the collection puts us in conversation with our environment and gestures toward the impact we have on each other. Horton has exhibited across the U.S. and the U.K., and his work has been featured in a number of publications.

City Limits, digital mixed media, 16x20in 58

Sun-kissed, digital mixed media, 16x20in 59

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Scott Hunter

www.scotthunterfineart.com scotthunterfineart Scott Hunter creates two distinct bodies of work, one of which is informed by his classical art education— he studied art history and painting based on intensive studio training and drawing from real life—and one of which informed by his love of abstract expressionism. Despite his traditional background, he creates work that defies convention; even in his figurative paintings, swaths of color dash across canvases, and his subjects slip towards the surreal. His series “Nonie” gives new life to a stack of faded, poorly developed Kodak prints, which

Hunter recreated with oil paints. The images capture family vacations, birthday parties, intimate gatherings: the mundane but still meaningful moments that make up a life. There is a softness to his paintings, as though the photographs had been overlaid with an obscuring filter—a lens of nostalgia, perhaps. Hunter is an awardwinning artist who has exhibited extensively, in both solo and group shows. His work is held in private collections across the U.S.

Wax Mustaches, oil on canvas, 20x20in

Beach Day, oil on canvas, 20x20in

Story Book, oil on canvas, 20x20in

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Andrea Jones

www.modandart.co.uk andrea_jones_art Andrea Jones’ works draw from a variety of styles—cubist, surrealist, Baroque—to cast images from her dreams into reality. For her, creating art is like falling asleep; she enters into another world that operates under its own logic and creates its own meaning. She often embodies her alter egos, using found photographs or models she directs to envision different versions of herself. The often dissonant elements of her pieces draw the viewer to engage with the compositions as a whole, finding a

strange sense of harmony in seemingly mismatched aspects and proportions. Jones moves between drawing, painting, collage, and photography to bring her visions to life, moving between media in the same way she moves between states. Jones works as an art teacher in prison and previously volunteers as an art-therapy teacher. Her work has been featured in art and literature magazines across the world, and she has exhibited across the U.K.

Dys Alexia, acrylic on canvas, 23.6x31.5in Rose, coloured pencil and acrylic on paper, 11.8x16.9in

Untitled, coloured pencil and acrylic on paper, 11.8x16.9in 63

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Sameh Khalatbari

www.samehkhalatbari.com sameh.khalatbari Sameh Khalatbari was born in Tehran in 1980, the year the Iran-Iraq war broke out. She began creating art at age six as a way to seek solace from the turmoil surrounding her. She went on to study traditional Iranian art, learning the intricate art of illumination and miniatures; eventually, her practice brought her to modern art. Khalatbari uses her work to reflect on her experiences; through her paintings, she has explored such topics as the emotional impact of moving to the U.S. and the implications of technology’s increasing presence in our lives. Her newest series, “1401 N/m2 Resistance,” is a response to the recent

women-led uprising in Iran following the death of Masha Amini, who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards. The threads that transverse her canvases are reminiscent of hair; they interweave but remain taught, signifying solidarity and strength. Khalatbari has exhibited in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and the U.S. She recently had a solo exhibition at Modernism in San Francisco, and her work has been shown in the de Young Museum.

1401 N/m2 Resistance - No.6, 7, 8 Opposition, Revolution, Martyr, mixed media, 75x72in 64

1401 N/m2 Resistance - No.4 Solidarity, mixed media, 30x50in 65

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Ji Eun Lim

www.jieunlim.net jieunjieunlim Ji Eun Lim uses geometric shapes to contemplate herself as a human being. Her process began through a close examination of her name, both in the Korean and English alphabet. She stripped the letters, which symbolized the entirety of her identity, down to their most basic forms, and from that place of base abstraction began building up new meanings. The systematized patterns gesture toward objectivity, a state she seeks when considering

her existence, but are still influenced by her thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Lim is an art educator as well as an artist, and through her compositions, she hopes to encourage students to explore their own self-awareness. Lim has Master’s degrees from Kyung-hee University and the School of Visual Arts and a Bachelor’s degree from Hong-ik University. Her work has been shown in solo shows and group exhibitions in Korea and the U.S.

Upon The Hill, acrylic on canvas, 24x24in

Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 20x20in 66

Road 02, acrylic on canvas, 24x24in

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Haley Manchon

www.haleymanchon.com haley_manchon Haley Manchon’s work focuses on isolation and selfreflection, giving physical representation to the anxious and cyclical thoughts that can consume a person—and to the many conceptions of self that each individual contains. Her pieces are realistically rendered but distorted, capturing subjects who are in a state of flux or pulled from the present moment. While this uncertainty can overwhelm, it also can become the locus for transformation, and her images often present

Common, graphite on dura-lar & paper, 8x10in

kaleidoscopic visions of self. Her recent work uses superimposed imagery and compounded features to represent this layering—of thoughts, of moments in time, of personal identity. The resulting pieces feel ephemeral and undefined, but fully realized in their complexity. Manchon has exhibited across the U.S. and internationally. She is represented by MK Apothecary in Collingswood, New Jersey.

Elizabeth Looks Both Ways, colored pencil and pastel on paper & dura-lar, 9x10in

Portrait Of Christine, colored pencil and mixed media on dura-lar & paper, 14x17in 69

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Melissa Mohammadi

www.melissamohammadi.com melissamohammadistudio Melissa Mohammadi makes intricate, meticulously composed works on paper using watercolor, ink, and pencil. Organic forms sprawl across her watercolors, creating botanic landscapes of varying degrees of abstraction; composed with washes of pastel colors and delicate linework, these images celebrate the vibrancy of nature. Recently, Mohammadi—who is a past resident at In Cahoots and a current resident at Kala Art Institute— expanded her practice to include tunnel books, threedimensional works consisting of layers of ornate images.

This new project was inspired by Mohammadi’s time studying medieval manuscripts and tapestries, which are themselves filled with elaborate, miniature renderings. Her tunnel books, as well as recent collages, also pay homage to Victorian garden books, which similarly find magic and wonder in the natural world. Mohammadi holds an M.F.A. from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University. Her work is in many private and public collections and has been exhibited across the U.S.

Utopia, Run!, tunnel book, etchings, paintings, drawings and cut paper, 4x6x5in 70

Past That Hill, tunnel book, etchings, paintings, drawings, cut paper and birch wood, 6x3x4in 71

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Grace W. Nguchu

www.gracewnguchu.com gracewnguchu Grace Nguchu grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, and was deeply inspired by her surroundings—the lush, mountainous landscape of the Great Rift Valley; the vast golden savannah of Maasai Mara; the striking coastline of Mombasa. Through her paintings, she aims to capture this natural beauty and the sense of awe and harmony it inspires. Nguchu begins her process by photographing sites that speak to her. She then starts sketching her

images, using the photographs as a reference but letting emotion guide her rendition. What she seeks to convey is the felt response to each place; using hot pink and other bold colors, she creates images that are both grounded in observation and slightly surreal. The resulting work has a sense of nostalgia, paying tribute to a land threatened by climate change and urbanization. Nguchu is a full-time artist living and working in Austin, Texas.

One Day At A Time, acrylic on canvas, 30x40in 72

Bare My Soul, acrylic on canvas, 30x40in 73

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Pei Ou

www.oupei-artportfolio.com peiou_studio_ Pei Ou explores generational traumas, family relationships, and the process of healing through her painting. She has long been fascinated by trees, which, like humans, respond to their surroundings, finding ways to grow even in harsh environments and when faced with impediments. She spent years painting landscapes in plein air—a temporary escape, during which she captured scenes that had a sense of peace and contentedness. Her work has become increasingly abstract, but tree trunks remain a constant symbol; liberated from the constraints of

figuration, they represent her pursuit of personal freedom. In her “Little People” series, linear forms gather together, dwarfed by the world around them. The titular little people aren’t immediately recognizable as such, but the tone and palette of the paintings creates a sense of narrative, conveying an emotional truth to the viewer. Ou is currently pursing an M.F.A. in Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts. Her paintings have been exhibited in galleries across New York City.

The Invisible Threat, oil on canvas, 48x60in 74

Reflection, oil on canvas, 48x60in

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Jacquelynn Perkins

jacquelynnperkins.com jackieperkie Jacquelynn Perkins’s vibrant and ornate paintings capture the experience of being a woman in the modern world, juxtaposing wildlife with female figures in domestic or otherwise interior spaces. She seeks, in her words, to “ignite and surface feminine intuition and frequencies that have been caged, sabotaged, or extinguished for millennia.” Her images combine the fantastical and the mundane, placing realistically rendered women against surreal backgrounds bursting with vivid patterns and

vitality. In doing so, she dramatizes the tension between potential and reality, between dreamed and lived experience, illuminating the bright future we have yet to claim. As a woman painting women, Perkins imbues her subjects with a striking sense of self—beings who do not exist to be gazed upon. Perkins holds a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and has exhibited in the U.S. and internationally.

Soap Dish Envy, oil on canvas, 60x48in

Don’t Use Your Imagination, oil on canvas, 48x60in

Lucy Ray

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www.lucyrayart.com/home lucyray_art Lucy Ray’s artworks explore the concept of liminality, how transitional spaces can evoke a feeling of permanence by joining past and future. Her drawings reconstruct memories from places she has lived in and traveled to; the pieces are eerie yet sentimental, resulting in a sense of strange nostalgia. She hopes to evoke the disorientation and uncertainty that often accompany change, when the old is fading but the new is only beginning to emerge. Her scenes blend the real and the imagined, creating a feeling of alienation—but one in which there can be

found an aspect of belonging, too. Her most recent series expands on these themes by using animal totems and ordinary objects. Her stark compositions and seemingly mismatched subjects convey unease and tension; the images are foreboding but feel rife with potential. Ray is an award-winning artist who lives between Australia and Abu Dhabi; she is represented by Flinders Lane Gallery in Australia. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured in a variety of publications.

A Ball Court, Crocodiles, Billboard And Bench, graphite, cold wax mounted to panel, 24x35.8in

Palm Trees, Steers, Sheets And A Sign, graphite, cold wax mounted to panel, 24x20in

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Kaylee Reynolds

kayleereynolds.com kayleereynolds.art Kaylee Reynolds’s paintings explore identity through the human form. Through her practice, she interweaves experiences that are informed by her racial identity, her Jamaican heritage, and her background as a dancer. Her subjects are captured in moments of graceful contortion, expressing themselves through their bodies. Their faces, however, are turned from the viewer; they are not performing for anyone else’s gaze. The women in her paintings find power and beauty in themselves. They are

set against abstract backgrounds—a place of freedom, removed from societal expectations but not their lived experiences. Reynolds says she seeks to create work that “that celebrates our power and fortitude, and empowers us to move gracefully through any space, despite the vulnerabilities we may feel.” Reynolds has exhibited in New York City, Chicago. and Kingston, Jamaica, and her work has been featured in multiple publications.

Xaymaca I, oil on canvas, 24x36in

Xaymaca II, oil on canvas, 24x36in

Twilight Zone, oil on canvas, 24x30in

Sheri Rush

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www.sherirush.com sherilrush Sheri Rush’s vivid landscapes fuse realism and expressive mark making, calling attention to the tension between abstraction and representation—and the tension between nature as we try to understand it and nature as it exists. Bold colors and lines burst from recognizable shapes, embodying the irrepressible energy of the natural world. Even as we try to define or control our environment, it continues to exist on its own terms. Rush grew up documenting the trees on her family’s farm in

central Texas, and her work continues to be informed by encounters with the outdoors. Her painting process also incorporates photography and collage; she extensively documents her journeys and later deconstructs that material, moving away from descriptive renderings of the landscape to capture an atmosphere, convey feeling, and provide reflection. Rush is an award-winning artist who has exhibited extensively in both solo and group shows.

The Rules Of The Universe Bend, spray paint, acrylic and oil paint, 72x96in 82

Places Unknown, spray paint, acrylic and oil paint, 8 4x72in

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Deborah Sherman

deborahsherman.net deborahasherman Deborah Sherman’s impressionistic landscape paintings capture moments of communion with the natural world. Sherman is inspired by the beauty of her surroundings; through her work, she aims to evoke the instant of encountering an impressive vista and the emotional response it elicits. While each image can take weeks or months to complete, the result feels immediate, albeit filtered through Sherman’s own experience. The act of perceiving is itself a subject in Sherman’s paintings, and

her subjectivity is visibly apparent in each image. While she depicts a range of locations—she has received grants to work across the world, from Nova Scotia to Italy—her distinctive brushstrokes and layered colors create a unifying artistry. Sherman is an artist and art educator who received an M.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design. Her work has been exhibited in New York City, Berlin, and Rome.

View Of Thenon, gouache on board, 16in diameter

The Valley, gouache on board, 16in diameter 84

Lighthouse, gouache on paper, 10in diameter

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Amanda Smith

amandasmithart.com amanda_smith_art Amanda Smith is a painter whose practice includes collage and quilting techniques. Her work explores the boundary between man and nature—one that she believes is artificial and provides an illusion of separation from our environment. She began her newest series, “Between Fires,” during the pandemic, a time which forced us to retreat from the world and to reevaluate our relationship to it. During lockdown, Smith spent a significant amount of time in her backyard, where she started noticing small moments that took on poetic or portentous qualities—

suddenly, a crushed can or an intimate bonfire could assume heightened significance. Each isolated incident is also representative of the forces that led up to it, and the uncertainty about what will follow: climate catastrophe, political upheaval, economic turmoil. Smith holds an M.F.A. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and has been a visiting artist at numerous universities; she currently teaches drawing and painting at Missouri State University.

Summer Crush, oil on canvas, 28x44in (diptych)

Moonstruck, watercolor, india ink, dye, and acrylic gouache on mulberry paper, 34x27in

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Danyang Song

www.danyangart.com danyang.art Danyang Song’s sculptures evoke the Chinese concept of tian ren he yi, which is often translated as the oneness of heaven and man. Through her work, she explores the interwoven relationship between nature, humanity, and machines. Song uses a variety of ceramic and glass techniques, including hand building, blowing, and 3D printing, merging new technologies and traditional craftsmanship. The resulting objects look at once organic

and artificial; they are a surreal play on the natural world, both replicating and distorting animate forms. Each sculpture undergoes a process of being remade before arriving at its final form, a cyborganic combination of biology and technology. Song hold an M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design and currently works at the School of Visual Arts. She has exhibited extensively in both the U.S. and in China.

Floating, glazed stoneware, underglaze, glass, 13.8x9.8x7.9in 88

Finding The Balance-7, glazed stoneware, underglaze, cones, 7x7x11.8in 89

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Vanessa Torres

www.vnsatorresart.com vnsatorres Vanessa Torres’ vivid paintings reveal the magic in ordinary moments. Her subjects—rendered in bright cyan or dusky vermillion—check their phones, take selfies, and leisurely stretch. Through Torres’ art, they are transformed; her pieces find exaltation in the everyday. Her images are acutely observed but also fantastical—her style brings a contemporary flair to classical oil-painting techniques. Torres grew up in what she describes as “the

culturally diverse and vibrant city of New York,” and that influence can be seen in her work. She seeks to capture the essence of what she paints, resulting in a bold use of color and light. Her work is grounded in realism, but it captures something beyond what is perceived; when her imagination takes flight, she illuminates emotion and interiority as well. Torres’ work is held in private collections across the U.S. and in Germany.

Sister’s Keeper, oil on canvas, 24x30in

Decisions, oil on canvas, 24x30in

Self-care, oil on canvas, 36x48in 91

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Rodrigo Veloso

www.rodrigo-veloso.com rodrigoveloso_art Rodrigo Veloso’s work is inspired by the places he has spent time in and the cultures he encountered there. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York; he has traveled throughout South America and Africa. He captures each of these locations with oil pastels, a material that, through its expressivity and tactility, allows him to best document his experience of a place. Veloso has an M.F.A. in architecture and used

to work in the field before deciding to become a full-time artist—he now works with painting, illustration and graphic design. His professional background informs his current body of work, primarily in his focus on how human beings inhabit and interact with their environments. Rodrigo has exhibited work in Lisbon, New York, Paris, and Madrid.

Man With Camel, oil pastel on paper, 19.7x25.6in

Running Free, oil pastel on paper, 19.7x27.6in

Spring Break, oil pastel and acrylic on canvas, 16x20in

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April Werle

www.aprilwerle.com aprilwerle April Werle’s studies of hands set against surreal backdrops interrogate her identity and examine how culture persists in the diaspora. Her mother immigrated from the Philippines to Montana after having an arranged marriage; Werle uses her art practice to contemplate her mixed-race upbringing and shared family stories. Colloquially, traditions are “handed down” from one generation to the next, and Werle’s pieces bring this visual pun to life, using the expressivity of a single body part to

explore how families acclimate and adapt while holding on to their inherited identities. There is a sense of play in her bold titles as well—her hands speak for unseen but readily understood individuals, who themselves embody the cultures that formed them. Werle is an award-winning artist who has been featured in multiple publications. Her work has been shown in group exhibitions across the country and abroad, as well as in two solo exhibitions.

“Food tastes better this way.”, acrylic and stain on wood panel, 40x30in

“Where are you from-from?”, acrylic and stain on wood panel, 40x30in

“I started looking in the mirror and only seeing a white person.”, acrylic and stain on wood panel, 36x24in 95

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Xiangjie Rebecca Wu

rebeccawuuuu In her paintings, Xiangjie Rebecca Wu sifts through and recreates her memories. The resulting images, while grounded in concrete recollections, are filtered through her present experience, creating a palpable distance from the past and casting it in a new, often melancholy light. Wu grew up in a rural town by the Yangtze River and had what she describes as an “unsupervised and dangerous childhood.” There is a sense of solitude and

slight foreboding to her work; she describes it as both mournful and uncanny. The moody hues she employs, as well as her use of light and shadow, give a dramatic aura to fleeting moments. By recreating private moments of contemplation, she encourages the viewer to gaze inward as well. Her work interrogates both her past and her perception of that past, calling attention to the shifting nature of narrative. Wu holds an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute.

Red Lantern I, oil on canvas, 36x48in 96

Absence In Presence I, oil on canvas, 36x48in 97

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Emine Yilmaz

www.emyilmaz.com emineyilmazn Emine Yilmaz is a multidisciplinary artist who makes vivid, semi-abstract nightscapes; in her illustrations, bold shapes float across dark skies, immersing the viewer in a cosmos of her creation. There is a linear logic to Yilmaz’s images, but she finds space for fluidity as well, combining

geometric and natural forms. Her worlds are often peopled by mythological imagery and and iconography drawn from her culture and childhood. Yilmaz was born and raised in Turkey and currently lives in New York, where she works on editorial and advertising commissions.

Say Gay, digital painting, 8.2x9.8in

Shahmaran, digital painting, 12.2x17.3in

Sunny Day, digital painting, 8.3x10.2in

ARTIST ZOE TOSCANO

Glass 100 Pineapple, oil on canvas. Frame: wood & shag fabric, 32x40in

VISIONARY VISITS Our studio visits in New York City provide us with a deeper understanding of the work in which we are viewing. Through this ongoing series, we travel to artist studios in Brooklyn and Manhattan to meet contemporary artists who are creating powerful, thought-provoking work.

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Farrell MasonBrown

www.farrellmasonbrown.com ffawo BIO Farrell Mason-Brown is a self-taught painter based in Brooklyn, NY. She uses oil medium to explore storytelling, landscape, and poetry. She has exhibited her work with Westbeth Gallery (New York, NY), False Cast Gallery (San Diego, CA), Eve Leibe Gallery (London, UK), among others. She has participated in a residency with Mobius Gallery. Her work has been published in Art Maze Magazine and Avant Arte. ARTIST STATEMENT I work with oil paint and pastels on canvas. I am interested in portraying the effects of light, emotion, and shape. I make work about mortality, poetic allegory, and symbolism. My background in nursing is where I witnessed the

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shocking moments of death and birth. These transformational experiences have led me to reject rational materialism in my paintings, and instead reach for a state of pure beauty and peace. To me beauty is a gift of reciprocity, between the image and the viewer. Images of the human form, landscape, and geometry are painted with intuition. With repetition, some of the shapes become icons, living in my studio and informing further work. To imbue my symbols with life, some shapes are created into sculpture, which then will be referenced in subsequent paintings. I use color gradients, symmetry, and continuous line to feel out the direction of the painting. There is joy in not knowing how the painting will turn out when I begin.

It’s All Over Now, oil on canvas, 30x24in

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Natalie SteigmannGall

nataliesteigmanngall.com natmaxedart BIO Natalie Steigmann-Gall is a painter working at the intersection of art, elder care and social research. She uses an expressionist combination of materials to engage portraiture and cityscape through the lens of social theory, creating interpretations of the home, the subway, the street, and other complex interpersonal arenas. Her recent body of work explores the complexities of the world of caregiving. She graduated with her B.F.A. in painting and drawing from Ohio State University in December of 2020. Steigmann-Gall’s work has been exhibited in five states and appears in private and corporate collections across the country. She was featured in the solo show Significant Gestures at Hayley Gallery in New Albany, Ohio. Recent shows include the group show ActionReaction at LIC-A Art Space in Queens, New York, and the national juried show 13th Annual Figurative Drawing and Painting Exhibition at Lore Degenstein Gallery in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. Her work was featured at Miami Art Week 2022 in the Maverick Expo 14. Steigmann-Gall’s recent press includes a mention in White Hot Magazine, an upcoming showing in I Like Your Work’s 2023 Fall Exhibition Catalogue, and a feature in Artsy’s Artists on the Rise page. She was born in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives and works in Queens, New York.

ARTIST STATEMENT In my practice I conceptually engage with the sociological theories that most interest me as an artist, particularly the work from the symbolic interactionist school of thought, which focuses on everyday interactions and social situations. I ask questions about the impact of public versus private space on our relationships with one another, the tensions associated with different kinds of group dynamics, and the way we present ourselves in our everyday lives. As in sociology, I seek to use the specific to reach meaningful conclusions about the general. I am drawn to the idea of the artist as an outside observer. By working from candid photographs, I’ve adopted the mindset of an ethnographer, for whom the research never ceases. By positioning myself as a chronicler of my subjects’ everyday experiences, I examine my relationship to them, implicating the viewer as an outsider as well, carefully recording every detail. For an ethnographer, every minor interaction or expression might reveal deep meaning. I’ve spent the last two years as a caregiver and companion for the elderly, and in that time I’ve had the privilege to develop intimate relationships from my client’s homes. I come to know not just my clients but the people who love and care for them. In my recent work inspired by this period of my life, I try to capture the poignancies of aging through my perspective as an initial outsider to the client and their family, one who must quickly observe their highly specific needs and histories, and respond to them in ways that take into account their personal sensibilities. There is an endless network of responsibility, trust and communication that goes into building a care team. It’s been profoundly moving to be a part of so many of these teams, every time helmed by wives and daughters. In working with environmental portraiture, I hope to highlight the intricacies of elder care and give a sense of the intense love and devotion between mother and daughter.

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Sentimental Reasons (Barbara and Pele) 105

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Zoe Toscano

zoetoscanoart.com zoetoscanoart BIO Zoe Toscano is an artist born and raised in California currently living in Brooklyn, New York. After running a gallery in her hometown of Modesto, she decided to pursue her graduate degree at the School of Visual Arts. Her art practice is centered around oil painting. Growing up in California, she uses the colorful landscapes of her home state to direct her palette, creating lush, vibrant, textural paintings. She invites her viewers to enter her world of women, nature and personal symbolic imagery to invoke a sense of contemplation, the ephemeral and vulnerability. ARTIST STATEMENT As a figurative artist, painting the human form allows me to contemplate and explore the complexities of human relationships through visual language. At this time, my work is centered around the female experience. I strive to reclaim the female gaze through depicting women

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in moments of strength and vulnerability. Another key component of my work is the complicated relationship between humans and nature — exploring our differences, similarities, and human’s ability to separate ourselves from nature. I am constantly trying to understand my place in the world. I believe that is why I am creating work that is centralized around female identity. The essential questions that guide my practice are, what is a woman’s role in the world? How do women navigate themselves in a male dominated society? How do women conduct themselves in complicated relationships with other women? What is a woman’s relationship with the natural world? These are the questions that remain prevalent while I create and have become integral to my practice. I aim to inspire a sense of contemplation and connectivity with my viewers to deepen their understanding of the female experience through my paintings.

Zoe in front of “Glass Pineapple” o/c 32x40in

Work in progress

“Birthday Blues” & “Eye Floaters” o/c 5x7in

“Heidi Braids” o/c 30x40in 107

INSTALL IMAGE , DELTA DAYDREAMS AT WARNES CONTEMPORARY IN BROOKLYN, NY 108

VISIONARY EXHIBITION Visionary Art Collective showcases work by artists from around the world in our diverse in-person and virtual exhibitions.

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AR T AD VIS OR

WHAT REMAINS

CURA TO

Curated by Liza Zhurkovskaya ABOUT THE EXHIBITION What Remains is a virtual group exhibition providing an in-depth look at our personal and creative growth since the onset of the pandemic.

In the face of unprecedented challenges brought by the global pandemic, artists have emerged as resilient and resourceful champions of creativity. Confronted with isolation and uncertainty, they turned their homes into studios, their struggles into inspiration, and their solitude into powerful narratives, creating pieces that resonated deeply with global audiences. This period tested artists’ adaptability, sparking a wave of innovative techniques and forms of expression. With the

help of technology, art has become more accessible than ever before and artists have become beacons of hope, using their craft to shed light on social issues, amplify underrepresented voices, and offer solace to those grappling with the emotional toll of the pandemic. Artists’ unwavering dedication to their practice demonstrated that even in the darkest of times, art remains an essential source of healing, inspiration, and connection for all. In the “What Remains” group exhibition, artists showcase their adaptability, and a continued commitment to using their creativity as a means of expression, connection, and positive change in the world.

Artists in this image (left to right): Henrijs Preiss, Gina Geissinger, Richard A Rosenbaum, Nicole James, Lori Ryerson, Elinor Trier, Alicia Chapman 110

Artists in this image (left to right): Marina Nazarova, Don Carr, Regina Bos, Anja Sieber, Annie Duguay, Scotti Taylor, Allison Clements, Jacob Watts, Amy Pleasant, Linds Miyo, Nancy Cole, Camille Myles

Artists in this image (left to right): Carina Barajas, Ethan Platt, Charles Leak, Robbie Erskine, Kristin Reed 111

S P O T L I G H T O N ‘ W H AT R E M A I N S ’ A R T I ST

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Rachel Bensimon

www.rachelbensimonfineart.com rachelbensimon_art During the pandemic, my journey as a painter took a profound and unexpected turn. I found myself delving deep into the recesses of my inner world, pondering existential questions and seeking a personal connection to the unfolding global narrative. An uncanny sense of connection emerged as the world retreated to the confines of sheltering in place as I naturally found solace in creating within the cocoon of my own studio. My daily artistic journal writing became a vital part of my creative practice. After exploring collage for a couple of years I went back to my beloved oil painting. I immersed myself in a newfound focus that celebrated a deep connection to the natural world. Solitary portraits gave way to vibrant depictions with flowers, animals, butterflies, and fantastical realms where my subjects thrived. I aimed to weave surreal, otherworldly

Whiskers And Whispers, oil on panel 112

atmospheres throughout my work. My artistic focus shifted towards unity and inclusivity, transcending the idea of subjects separate from the world. My portraits of young women and girls intricately intertwined with the benevolent beauty of the natural world, living in serene harmony utilizing more vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and elaborate details. Paradoxically, the isolation and separation imposed by the pandemic fostered an unexpected sense of connection. My artistic evolution is ongoing. What remains after the lockdown is a testament to the power of art to bind us together, even in the most challenging times.

S P O T L I G H T O N ‘ W H AT R E M A I N S ’ A R T I ST

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Audrey Fox

www.artbyaudrey.org aud.fox.art Table for Two is an installation that prompts viewers to examine relationships, both with others and the self. The installation centers around the universal experience of partaking in a meal, as meals can be communal acts or solitary. Often, meals are the only moments taken for oneself or reserved for investing in our relationships with others. The intimacy of two seats facilitates conversations on how these relationships evolve.The installation highlights themes of femininity, considering traditional roles and aesthetics associated with feminine presentation. The feminine motifs and traditional association of meal-making with feminine duties represent the pressures faced by femininepresenting individuals as they age. The centerpiece, hand-

pinched and hand-painted porcelain, mimics transitions into adulthood. The dinnerware shows fingerprints and pock-marks—crudely formed and imperfect—reminiscent of childlike attempts at art. The floral motifs are intricate and realistic, suggesting movement into adulthood through the deployment of “fine art” techniques. A decadent cake— a suggestion of celebration and the shame of gluttony— beckons from the center of the table. The furniture shows signs of wear—water damage and scratches- evidence of past lives. The decay shown through use and the depiction of lifecycles within the artwork are a nod to the passage of time and its ambivalence toward us as participants.

Table For Two, installation 113

DELTA DAYDREAMS

Curated by Victoria J. Fry Visionary Art Collective recently opened a gallery in Brooklyn, NY to exhibit work by emerging artists. melreese.com melaniereese ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Warnes Contemporary is excited to present its first-ever exhibition, Delta Daydreams, a selection of work by the formalist painter, Mel Reese. The series is inspired by the Mississippi Delta––an area where Reese was in residency at JX Farms earlier this year—a mysterious landscape characterized by meandering waterways and thick vegetation. The vistas she creates are grounded in reality but defamiliarized, combining observed topographies with abstract shapes and textures. Water is of central importance to Reese’s paintings, in terms of both subject and substance; she fully saturates each canvas at the beginning of her process, allowing pigment to naturally pool and flow across the surface, mirroring the natural processes that nourish and define the landscapes she reflects upon. The paradoxical vertical orientation of each painting is disorienting and distorts our understanding of ‘scape’, pushing the viewer further into a sense of being somewhere and nowhere all at once. The resulting images immerse the viewer in color, texture, and form, evoking the haunting sense of timelessness that Reese experienced while observing these environments.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Reese (b. 1991) holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and a BS from Skidmore College. Reese has exhibited widely throughout the United States including Untitled Space (NYC), Maison 10 Gallery (NYC), and THE GALLERY by Odo (NYC) and is represented by Florence Contemporary Gallery in Italy. She has completed Artist-in-Residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Elsewhere Studios, and JX Farms. She has been featured in several publications including New American Paintings Northeast Issue 134, New American Painting Featured Artists, Inside Artists, Studio Visit Magazine, and was the cover artist for New Visionary Magazine Issue 6.

Victoria J. Fry and Mel Reese

Install images, Delta Daydreams at Warnes Contemporary in Brooklyn, NY

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Reese lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and their elderly cat, Miss Puds, who hates all of Mel’s paintings and is always her toughest & most vocal critic.

Install images, Delta Daydreams at Warnes Contemporary in Brooklyn, NY

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PHOTO BY PHILLIP REED 116

VISIONARY FAIRS To increase visibility for the artists we feature in our magazine, we partnered up with The Affordable Art Fair in NYC in September 2023 to distribute 200 copies of issue 7.

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Affordable Art Fair The Affordable Art Fair returned to New York City for its Fall 2023 edition at the Metropolitan Pavilion from September 20 to September 24. The edition was a stand-out event, featuring exciting new programming and artwork by over 400 artists across 76 exhibitors. The Affordable Art Fair created an accessible environment and entry-point to contemporary art for first-time buyers, seasoned collectors, and the art-curious fairgoers. The fair showcases a diverse array of artworks from both emerging and established artists, spanning various mediums and styles, priced up to $12,000. Among the Fall 2023 edition highlights is the fair’s Fellowship Program. The Affordable Art Fair welcomed

Brooklyn-based gallery Eleventh Hour Art to join Established Gallery as Fellows this fall as well as Artlogic as a primary supporter and underwriter of the Fellowship Program. The partnership with Artlogic secures Fellows’ participation as exhibitors free of charge for three consecutive editions of Affordable Art Fair New York. Affordable Art Fair New York returns to the Metropolitan Pavilion in March 2024 where the Fellowship Program will continue to invite emerging Tri-State Area arts organizations to submit curatorial proposals to participate as exhibitors in a dedicated Fellowship booth.

Photo by Phillip Reed 118

Eleventh Hour ART Eleventh Hour Art is a gallery that exhibits the most vibrant, passionate, and honest emerging artists in New York. They are an identity-forward gallery that believes each artists’ history and lived experience makes their art

powerful. In their split gallery/studio space in Brooklyn, they exhibit shows year-round as well as provide working studio space for our nine resident artists.

ELEVENTH HOUR ART PRESENTED A TWO - ARTIST PRESENTATION AT AFFORDABLE ART FAIR NEW YORK FROM SEPTEMBER 20 - 24.

Yung-wu (영우)

Ginger Snow

yungwu.com yungwu.art

eleventhhourart.com/snow gingerellasnow

BIO Yung-wu (영우, she/her) is a self-taught KoreanAmerican artist based in New York. Her name is a pseudonym, comprising parts of her maternal grandfather’s and paternal grandmother’s names as an homage to her family’s history with the arts in South Korea. Yung-wu’s intuitive abstract paintings are a direct reflection of her lifelong journey in reconciling her hyphenated cultural identity. Through her art, she expresses the complicated nature of existing between two worlds and the tension between filial piety, hyper-individualism, and stereotypes.

BIO Ginger Snow (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based oil painter whose work explores childhood and nostalgia. Through composition, color, and the intimacy of her figures, Snow creates tension between her subjects and the viewer. Her solo exhibition opens September 9, 2023 at Eleventh Hour Art.

ARTIST STATEMENT My current body of work, entitled Ban Mal, reflects the complexities of my experiences as Korean-American woman born and raised in New York. Through my intuitive abstract works, I untangle decades of repressed emotions and strive to create a space for honest reflection. Ban Mal translates to casual speech in Korean. Likewise, with my exhibition, I hope to open a space for dialogue, emboldening viewers to consider and embrace the ways their own intersecting cultures have shaped them. Ban Mal is a visual narrative that explores, engages, and reflects on the fluid essence of identity — and asks viewers to do the same.

ARTIST STATEMENT Ginger Snow’s evocative works explore the complexities of girlhood. Through glimpses of fleeting moments, Snow creates visual tension that feels simultaneously intimate and voyeuristic. As you view each work, Snow makes you both nostalgic for a past innocence and acutely aware of your adult perspective. As the figures play, explore, and rest, they seem to ask: do you remember your own complicated relationship with girlhood? Or should you even be looking at all?

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ARTIST YAHEL YAN 120

VISIONARY ARTist DIRECTORY We are proud to feature a wide range of talented artists in the Visionary Art Collective Directory. Coming to you from numerous states and nations, our directory artists work across a wide range of mediums and disciplines. visionaryartcollective.com/directory

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T IS T

Nicole Miller

www.nicolemillerart.com nicolemillerartist BIO Nicole Miller is a truly inspiring artist who has dedicated her life to sharing her passion with students of all ages through teaching. With degrees in Studio Art, Interior Design and a master’s degree in education, she has an impressive educational background that reflects her love for the arts and her commitment to teaching. Nicole’s artistic journey began with her father’s architectural drawings and equipment, which instilled in her a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the power of selfexpression. Her artwork reflects her life’s journey, and her pieces are filled with joy, happiness, and gratitude that resonate with viewers. With a preference for oil pastels and acrylic paints, Nicole uses her unique style to explore organic objects and push the boundaries of color saturation in her artwork. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted, starting with a sketch and heavily influenced by her family and life experiences. Nicole’s compassion and dedication to her craft make her truly a compelling artist who inspires everyone around her.

ARTIST STATEMENT As an artist, I find my inspiration in the natural world around me. Through my paintings, I strive to share my life experiences and the love I have for the beauty of nature with others. My work is characterized by the use of brayer techniques layered with oil pastels and acrylics on paper. By exploring the fundamental elements of art in my work, I create abstract expressive pieces that communicate the unique stories of botanicals that I have encountered on my journey. My art is a reflection of the visual effects created by line, texture, and patterns found in nature that are intertwined with vivid and meaningful colors. Each series that I create is an investigation into the uniqueness of botanicals, viewed through the lens of my own life experiences. My aim is to share the joy and wonder that I feel when exploring the natural world with others through my art. Creating without expectation, I aim to capture a youthful essence in my work that inspires others to embark on a joyful journey of their own. Through my paintings, I hope to communicate what is essential to me and spark a sense of wonder and curiosity in my viewers.

Love Unconditionally (detail), acrylic, 18x24in

Inspire Others (detail), acrylic, 18x24in

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Choose Joy, acrylic, 18x24in 123

Erin Wheary

T IS T

www.erinmonetwheary.com erinwheary BIO Erin Monet Wheary was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. She received a BA in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Puget Sound (2013) and an MFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (2018). Wheary is an interdisciplinary artist whose studio practice is rooted in three-dimensional art-making. She explores concepts of growth and decay and order and chaos in her work out of a desire to understand philosophical questions and natural phenomena that she encounters. “Visual art is my lens to see and understand the physical world and humanity. The circular nature of my research provides data for endless requisitioning,” she says. Wheary’s interests range from installation and printmaking to architecture, design, and land art - her portfolio reflects this. Her recent exhibitions include an invitational at the Female Artists Club in Brussels, Belgium, a commissioned site-specific installation at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and a solo exhibition at the Hartwig Gallery in Escanaba, MI. Artist residencies include Chateau d’Orquevaux in Orquevaux, France (2020), where she received the Denis Diderot [A-i-R] Grant, and Vermont Studio Center (2018), where she received the Vermont Studio Center Artist Grant.

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ARTIST STATEMENT I am an interdisciplinary artist. My work derives from the application of ordered systems onto various materials. This design process relies heavily on mathematical proportions, numerical sequences, and the scientific method. The circular nature of the scientific method allows for deep investigation by subtly shifting individual variables. I am motivated by the logic and control that is manifested in numbers. The concept provides a pattern that makes form. Applying these proportions to materials of organic origins, such as wood, cardboard, or paper, initiates an unpredictable relationship between order and chaos, geometric and organic. In my practice, a predetermined process is established. By changing one variable with every iteration, I investigate material emerging with an insight into how far these elements can be extended to their breaking point. The process is materialized, and the goal of fusing material, process, and content is realized.

Modular Sculpture: Quadrant No 06, 48.310793° N - 5.405612° E — 3.7.2020, bent wood and hardware, site specific installation

Unstoppable | Immovable, 2 ply corrugated cardboard, 10(tall)x3x3ft 125

T IS T

Yahel Yan

www.yahelyan.com yahel.yan.art BIO Yahel Yan is a San Diego-based Mexican painter exploring the relationship between color and emotion. Frequently attending museums and galleries, Yan was exposed to art from an early age and always knew that she wanted to become a visual artist. She jokes she was born with a crayon in her hand. These childhood experiences of being immersed in the rich, vibrant culture of Mexico continue to impact Yan’s work today. In her abstract and representational work, she explores the relationship between color, imagination, emotion, and memory. Yan received her undergraduate degree in graphic design from Universidad Del Nuevo Mundo. With a love for both painting and printmaking, she began her career as a professional artist in 2019. Yan has since been selected for solo and group exhibitions throughout California, including From the Masters at Ashton Gallery, Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art, and Not an Art Fair (National Show) at ShockBoxx, amongst others. Additionally, she received an award of third place of excellence from the San Diego Museum of Art’s 2022 online International Spring Exhibition and was selected to be part of Jen Tough’s Collective in 2023. Yan paints from her home as well as her studio space located at F1VE ART in Liberty Station.

(The City) Where Dreams Come True, acrylic on canvas, 36x48in 126

ARTIST STATEMENT My work is an exploration of the depths of imagination and reality. Through abstract and representational painting, I allow personal narratives to unfold and leave room for the viewer to find their own stories within each piece. Although I paint in vastly different styles and mediums–– abstraction, realism, acrylic, and oil––I rely on my intuition to be my guide in communicating emotion. Growing up in Mexico City, I was surrounded by a vibrancy of colors and the pulse of a big metropolis. These childhood memories play into my art in palette, energy, and movement. I approach the creative process with a willingness to explore an array of mediums and techniques that guide my studio practice in exciting new directions. Through each painting, underlying emotions, sensations, and desires emerge to the surface–from joy and romance to grief and healing. Depth is created through layers upon layers of paint, evoking a lifetime of hidden memories. My artistry is enhanced by my pure passion for creating. Whether I’m painting a chair, a whimsical landscape, or an abstract composition, each collection reflects my optimistic nature and purpose: to bring joy to the viewer.

Wallflower, oil on wood cradle , 24x24in

Brooklyn Girls, oil on canvas, 24x24in.

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1 ROBIN ADLER

5 ALLISON BELOLAN

6 ASHLEY BLANTON

Robin Adler is a Woodstock, New York-based abstract artist who transcribes emotional experience into visual form, while expressing boundless enthusiasm for abstraction. Using line, shape, and color, she works intuitively, pushing past limitations toward possibility. Adler explores her inner landscape and the natural environment for inspiration. Her intention is to create an interaction between the viewer and the work, to find commonality that extends both beneath and beyond language.

Allison Belolan, an award-winning artist, creates mixed-media abstract landscapes using handmade paper and repurposed materials. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Printmaking and later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching Art Education from the School of Visual Arts. Based in Mamaroneck, New York, she collaborates with collectors, curators, and industry professionals for commissions and licensing. Her work is featured in art fairs and galleries across the United States.

Ashley Blanton is entangled in a desire to find magic in the mundane, for looking closely at details and disparate parts helps her cultivate and connect to the sense of wonder that she seeks. Combining watercolor, gouache, cut paper, collage, and transfer techniques, Ashley creates mixed media works on paper that are evocative of emotional and visceral felt senses.

robinadlerart.com robinadlerart

2 SUNNY ALTMAN

www.allisonbelolanart.com allisonbelolanart

ashleyblanton.com faint.as.fog

www.sunnyaltman.com sunnyaltmanartstudio_

My art is inspired by nature and its spiritual connection to human life. My work celebrates the natural world and its profound impact on human experiences. I use a combination of mediums and techniques to bring to life the emotional depth and spiritual connections in all living things, inspiring viewers to appreciate and cherish the beauty of the world around us while reflecting on the deeper aspects of our existence.

3 JAYN ANDERSON

www.jaynandersonart.com jaynandersonart

Jayn Anderson is a North Carolina-based abstract painter. Her work is inspired by life experiences, emotions, music and how they all relate to fundamental humanness. She creates to uncover the deeply personal and at times, uncomfortable parts of life. Through her work, she strives to present a visual language that we can all relate to on a deeper level. Jayn’s desire is to provide a safe space for others to feel the freedom and vulnerability to connect to their innermost thoughts through art.

4 PHYLLIS ANDERSON

www.phyllisandersonart.com phyllisandersonart

Phyllis Anderson is an award-winning artist who divides her time between Colorado and New Jersey. She received a BFA at the University of Texas, and later studied at the Art Students League in New York. Her current multi-media paintings are landscapes which invoke dreams and memory, where a threatened wilderness has become an idea, mythic, legendary, unreal. Fantastic color, image fragmentation, and scribbled lines create romantic, mysterious works. Phyllis’s paintings are shown regularly in Philadelphia, and at RGallery in Boulder, CO. Her work is available at Framewerx Gallery in Winter Park, CO, and is in several private & corporate collections.

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WITH Victoria J Fry

Tune in to hear uplifting conversations with the most inspirational visionaries in today’s art world. Now available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere podcast episodes are streamed. New Visionary Podcast is hosted by Victoria J. Fry, artist & founder of VAC. Based in New York City, Victoria interviews creative individuals from around the world in our new podcast series.

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7 STEPH BLONDET

11 INGRID BUTTERER

Steph Blondet is a Puerto Rican artist based in Tampa, FL. Blondet creates textured and dimensional paintings as a form of visual journaling. In her work, Blondet explores themes of personal growth, grief, and the societal pressures placed on women. She creates intuitively and communicates her story through color and composition to reflect the duality of the human experience, and to convey that through darkness there will always be light.

Ingrid Butterer is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her B.F.A. from the University of Michigan and EdM from Columbia University, Teachers College. Her work has been published in Orenda Arts Journal, Quarentine Magazine and Womxn Artist Project. Ingrid’s work has shown at Lincoln Center, A.I.R. Gallery, Atlantic Gallery, 440 Gallery, Benheim Gallery, Kyoto Shibori Museum and Yamashita Gallery (Japan).

www.stephblondet.com stephblondetart

8 SARAH E. BOYLE

saraheboyle.com saraheboyle_painting

ingridbutterer.com ingridbutterer.art

Sarah E. Boyle is a Chicago-based painter who explores place and memory through landscape – alluding to narrative, symbolism, and the tension between knowing a place and translating it with oil paint. Her “Firescapes” series captures the transformation of familiar American West landscapes after recent wildfires. Sarah studied fashion and design at Syracuse University and Ringling School of Art and Design before receiving her BFA at the School of the Art Institute.

9 PAULETTA BROOKS www.paulettabrooks.com PBWearableArt

Pauletta Brooks is a jewelry artist who also branches out into other mediums. Her designs, under the label Pauletta Brooks Wearable Art, involve the use of raw minerals and gemstones set in unique and unusual ways. She is known primarily for her inventive use of thermoplastic resin, creating meshlike sculptural webs that house the minerals and stones. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, journals, and galleries throughout the US and abroad. She resides in New York City.

10 OWEN BURNHAM www.owenburnham.com owen.burnham

Owen Burnham is a Brooklyn based photographer and multimedia visual artist creating from the investigation of movement and abstract imagery. Spanning photography, painting, and collage their practice contextualizes motion as a means to abstractly deconstruct identity. Collections are reflections, reclamations - who and what makes us move? An NYU Tisch Alumni (BFA, Dance), they currently capture New York City dance, with their visual art collections showcased in various virtual exhibitions.

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12 MARCIA CONLON musingwomen

I like working with materials that are a little rough, grungy, maybe a little dirty. I juxtapose feminine images from vintage magazines or antique photos next to found material like cardboard, vintage paper and deconstructed book pages. I have been drawn to artistic practices most of my life, even though I have had an eclectic professional life. I have a degree in Art History from the University of Michigan but am mostly a self taught artist. I was born in Detroit, but have lived in Traverse City for 23 years.

13 MARGOT DERMODY www.margotdermody.com margotdermody

Margot Dermody is a Pittsburgh-based artist whose work primarily focuses on painting and sculpture. She uses abstraction to explore memories and emotions, examining the connections between human experiences and the natural world. She works in stone and glass for sculpture and mixed media for painting. In abstract layers of opacity and translucency, her works ask how to locate beauty in the shadows and bring light into life.

16 THOMAS FLYNN II www.thomasflynnii.com thomasflynnii

Thomas Flynn II is an artist living and working in Austin, Texas. In his acrylic paintings, he explores the perceived connection between plants, celestial bodies, and human bodies. Seeking to ultimately delve further into the ancient relationship that humans have with their environment and how that informs our current lives. He has exhibited in Texas, Georgia, and curated into virtual group and solo exhibitions internationally. Flynn received a B.F.A. in painting and a minor in art history from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2016.

14 JACQUELINE DIESING www.jacquelinediesing.com jacquelinediesing

Over the past 10 years in Chicago, IL, I have come to realize I process my feelings and heal myself through my mixed media artwork comprised of detailed, freehand micron ink and soft pastel drawings. My journey began with a desire to restore crumbling, architectural masterpieces in my hometown of Detroit to their former beauty by surrounding them with colorful life. Since then, I have been drawn to examine my own health and healing by digging deeper into issues stemming from childhood. The art I am working on now depicts my path towards wellness.

15 TARA ESPERANZA www.taraesperanza.com taraesperanza

My paintings share my intimate viewpoint of succulents. I feel deeply connected to my subject and I’m inspired by the abundant varieties of textures, colors, forms, and shapes. I imagine myself as a bee as I delve into the plants and explore what they reveal to me. My paintings celebrate the diversity in the world of succulents. They are magnified images that illuminate the distinct beauty that I see.

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17 ERIN FRIEDMAN erinfriedmanart.com erinfriedmanart

Erin Friedman is an abstract artist just outside of Washington, DC in Bethesda, Maryland. Using acrylic paint and oil pastels, Erin’s work is an accumulation of feelings and experiences over time that transfer onto the canvas. Inspiration comes from moments and reactions to everyday life and my emotions. Erin will make marks, alter her ideas, add layers and change directions. We all experience conflict, change, joy and sadness. Erin does her best to embrace this process and allow those feelings to be revealed throughout her work.

21 KIM HOPSON

www.kimhopsonstudio.com kimhopsonstudio

Kim Hopson is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. In her work she explores themes of ableism, caregiving, and identity. Experiencing life with a disability has given her a unique viewpoint that is reflected in her paintings, drawings and collages. She focuses on the body’s relationship to the world, both physically and emotionally. 17

22 ANDREA JONES www.modandart.co.uk andrea_jones_art

I am an artist from Liverpool, England and for the past eleven years I have worked as an art teacher in a prison. My artwork has featured in several magazines of art and literature in the U.S., U.K. and Berlin, Germany. One particular style that I work in is based on my alter ego, this is inspired by wanting to be somebody else, taking elements from different people to create new characters, I call these characters my alter ego people. The images are painted in acrylic on canvas or drawn onto paper. 20

18 LUCY JULIA HALE

www.walltowallsecrets.com

Lucy Julia Hale is a Georgia feminist / social activist artist and art educator. She often selects scenes from our cultural archives of mass-produced publications or vintage vernacular snapshots to which she adds drawn, painted, and/or collaged images to portray a deeper history. She serves as an advocate supporting the dignity and wellbeing of vulnerable populations, which unfortunately now include all inhabitants of Earth. Her work has been selected by prominent jurors for numerous national exhibitions. She holds an Ed.S. and an M.Ed. in Counseling and Educational Psychology, and a B.S. Ed. in Art Education.

19 MEAM HARTSHORN meamhartshorn.com meamhartshorn

Meam Hartshorn is an abstract painter. Her work explores the relationship between landscapes, geology, and natural phenomena with expression, emotion, and memory. Her paintings create undulating and constantly deconstructing landscapes that often draw inspiration from the geology and ecosystems of the Western United States. Meam currently lives and works in Austin, TX and she is the founder The Artful Collective, a platform for connecting and supporting emerging artists.

20 ROBERTA HOINESS www.robertahoiness.com robertahoiness

The world can be a noisy and complex place. I create organic abstract landscape art with the hope of inspiring moments of calm. I layer hand-painted paper, pigment, oil pastels and occasional touches of metallic leaf to recall the “feeling” of a place rather than the details. I am continually inspired by the quiet, stillness & rustic beauty of the Canadian prairies where I live with my husband and three children.

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23 ZARA KAND

27 MONA LERCH

Zara Kand is an oil painter based in Southern California. She has exhibited throughout numerous venues within the US and has been featured in many online and print publications across the globe. Her work is often highly symbolic and focuses on figurative elements within dreamy environments. She currently lives in the hi-desert, spending her time painting, art writing for various art magazines, and dabbling in curatorial projects. She is also the editor of The Gallerist Speaks, an international interview series focusing on gallery directors, arts organizers and curators.

Mona Lerch is a contemporary visual artist and founder of Art Mums United and Women United ART MOVEMENT, residing in the Czech Republic. Mona began her art journey as an abstract oil painter; however, her creative passions and love for experimentation led her into watercolor botanical illustration and portraits, linocut prints, collages and acrylics. In her current body of work, Mona steps away from abstract landscapes and focuses on the female form. Natural elements play a vital part in many of these pieces. It’s her means of emphasizing the connection with our surroundings that enables us to stay grounded.

www.zarakand.com zarakandart

monalerch.com monalerchwallart

24 DIANE LAMBOLEY

28 LAUREN LEWCHUK

Diane Lamboley is a contemporary photographer who strives to brighten the lives of others by helping them free their imaginations from the cage of their conditioning. She embraces adventure and finds much of her inspiration exploring the beauty earth offers. Lamboley is called to capture the wonders of nature through her photographs which are digitally transformed for people to experience a visual journey. Her artwork is printed on aluminum enhancing the contemporary feel.

Texas-based artist Lauren Lewchuk is a self-taught creative inspired by nature. Her work ranges from small-scale paintings to large-scale murals. She creates detailed and elaborate compositions that are inspired by nature, micro-organisms and nature macro-photography. Use of color, movement, flow, patterns and repetition are important visual elements in her work that symbolize underlying themes having to do with mental states of being, identity, societal expectations, personal boundaries, spirituality, and existentialism.

www.dianelamboley.com dianelamboley

www.artbylewchuk.com art_by_lewchuk

25 SANDY LANG www.sandylang.art sandy_lang_art

Creating is like telling yourself a tale of the world you feel. Born 1980 I am a self taught artist located in Germany. I mostly work with oil colours since I love their brightness and texture. It allows me to explore strong dark and light effects and to express the themes my paintings deal with. Being a lover of symbolism, I am working with allegories in a figurative manner of painting with a very personal approach to themes such as shadow and light, memories in time, and love – or its absence.

26 CHARLES LEAK charlesleakstudio.com charlesleakstudio

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Charles Leak (b. 1953, Dallas, Tx ) is an artist who lives and works in New York City and East Hampton. He combines oil paint, enamel, gold, copper powder, and graphite on canvas and paper. “I am influenced by all the great artists from Da Vinci to Diebenkorn. And all the great writers, musicians, and filmmakers. But more importantly, my greatest influence is the wonderful natural world we were given that surrounds us all”

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29 JODI MILLER

33 CAMILLE MYLES

Jodi Miller is a Canadian prairie-based contemporary, impressionist painter. Her work explores connections with our roots, our stories and our surroundings. Drawing on her childhood on a family farm and years spent in the Royal Canadian Air Force across Canada, her landscapes are familiar yet fictitious. “Each painting begins with a memory, then evolves to tell a story of its own.” Jodi’s work focuses on human connections as observed through our environment using the metaphor of our imprints on the land as an entry point for personal narratives.

Camille Myles is an emerging Canadian contemporary artist living on the shores of Georgian Bay in Tiny, Ontario. Park Superintendent & formerly an archaeologist, Myles has a deep connection to nature & history bringing hope and transformation to her community. Working in painting, sculpture, installation and public art, she creates conversations about identity, motherhood and celebrates change and growth in her work. She’s exhibited extensively and is part of private collections internationally.

www.jodimillerfineart.com jodimillerfineart

30 STEPHANIE MULVIHILL stephaniemulvihill.com smulvihillart

A New York City-based artist and educator, Stephanie Mulvihill works primarily with the drawn image on paper because of its tactile surface and fragile, impermanent quality. By drawing with graphite, she taps into the tradition of drawing as a means of investigation and dissection of both nature and ourselves. In her work, Stephanie explores themes of creation, motherhood and personal evolutions: physical, spiritual and intellectual. Visual references to the body and internal anatomy overlap, meld and transform to create totems honoring our individual and collective transformations.

www.camillemylesart.com camillemylesart

31 JENNIFER AGRICOLA MOJICA jenniferagricolamojica.com jenniferagricolamojica

Jennifer Agricola Mojica is a contemporary painter, educator, and mother based in San Antonio, Texas. She has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her paintings can be found in private collections and has been featured in multiple publications. In her process, a painting begins with a disruptive start and ends with a harmonious stillness. Planes shift and shapes repeat, forms are portrayed at different vantage points, and figures become fragmented. The chaos then becomes a calm meditative process as she weaves concepts and elements together.

32 RACHEL MORRISSEY

www.rachelmo.com rachelmorrisseyart

Rachel Morrissey is based in Massachusetts. She received her MFA in 2016 from MassArt. Morrissey makes highly saturated narrative paintings that employ organic forms to convey her daily experiences, which include motherhood, anxiety and more recently, life with a chronic illness. The motifs oscillate along the continuum of her lived experience, love and joy at one end and utter despair at the other. She is represented by Voltz Clarke Gallery and 19 Karen.

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34 RUCHITA NEWREKAR

38 MICHELLE REEVES

Ruchita Newrekar is a jewelry designer and contemporary jewelry artist. She uses jewelry as a platform to explore thoughtprovoking concepts. Her designs express the undeniable existence of connections and how their effects play a significant role in making us human. Each piece she creates is a visual narrative, an invitation to reflect upon the interconnectedness that underlies our existence, symbolizing the intricate web of relationships that shape our lives.

Michelle is a botanical/floral artist who lives with her husband and son in Nashville, TN. She began painting at the age of 52 after a gentleman asked, “What are you passionate about?” during a job interview. This question led Michelle back to school to pursue an Interior Design degree, but through coursework she started to paint. Her latest paintings are inspired by pages from her childhood coloring books. Bold outlines of brush strokes and intricate backgrounds fill the canvas.

ruchitanewrekar.com/contemporary-works ruchitajewlery

35 JESSICA OLIVEIRA

www.jessicaoliveiraart.com jessica.oliveiraart

Imitating the unreliable and fluctuating nature of her memory, Jessica Oliveira (b. 2000, Yonkers, NY) works to develop worlds that can be explored and experiences that can be rediscovered. In remembering, we can reflect and in reflection we can learn. Jessica is assessing how different people, places and objects are remembered and what happens to her memory over time.

36 REBECCA POTTS AGUIRRE www.rebeccapotts.com pottsart

michellereevesart.com michellereevesartnashville

39 BRITTANY M. REID brittanymreid.com brittany.m.reid

Brittany M. Reid lives and works in Rochester, New York. Reid’s creative process was supercharged when she began working with collage, leading her to create over 200 pieces within only two years of adopting the new medium. Blending the feelings that different images hold into one artwork creates both a story and an experience. Her own experience as a queer, Black woman and mother flows into her work, imbuing her work with both individual and universal layers.

37 PAULINA REE www.paulinaree.com adiosalasfresas

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Rebecca Potts Aguirre is an artist based in Southern California. She explores themes of motherhood and gendered labor, memory and visibility, trauma and healing. She sculpts polymer clay and play-dough, building “paintings” with slight relief. Her materials draw connections to craft and childhood, while her imagery reflects flickering memories and the early fog of motherhood. Through her art practice, she seeks connection and asks: how do connections persist?

Paulina Ree is an Oslo-based painter, educator, curator, and the founder of Female Artists Oslo (FAO). Her focus is on looking at life through the prism of the female experience. She reflects and works towards understanding the complexity of being a human, and uses it in her art as a way to both explore and provoke contemplation about societal expectations and the quest for selfunderstanding and acceptance.

40 MADDIE REISS

44 NAOMI THORNTON

Maddie is a landscape painter based in Greater Philadelphia. She works primarily in acrylic but enjoys sketching in ink and watercolor. Nature and wildlife are her main sources of inspiration, but she also relies on words, song lyrics, and poetry to guide the look, feel, and mood of her visual work. Her current collection of paintings is centered on western landscapes from her travels, featuring scenes from Arizona, Colorado, and Big Sur.

Naomi Thornton is a mixed media artist and psychotherapist living in the expansive beauty of Northwest Montana. In her art, she highlights the historically undervalued stories of women while emphasizing a connection to nature as a life-giving resource. Vintage portrait photographs are the inspiration of her work. She uses collage and paint to evoke a textured layering of desires, hopes and dreams using found images, handmade papers, and text from old books. Through her art, she intends to create a new narrative of empowerment, resiliency, and connection to the natural environment.

www.maddiereiss.com maddiereissart

41 MARIA ISABEL RODRIGUEZ www.mariaisabelrodriguez.com mariaisabel_art

Maria Isabel Rodriguez resides in Montreal, Canada and her interest is in destigmatizing mental illness using flowers as an analogy for the resilience of the human mind and spirit. Growing up amidst the turmoil of the civil war in Guatemala (her native country) and facing the challenges of mental health within her family, have developed in her a deep appreciation for the transformative power of art.

www.spiritisaboneart.com spirit_is_a_bone_art

42 HANI ROSENBAUM

www.hannahrosenbaumartwork.com hani.rosenbaum

Hani Rosenbaum works in a variety of mediums, from abstract acrylic paintings, to illustrations, and more recently intaglio etching designs. Hani’s visual art explores themes around magic, surrendering to nature, celebration of queerness, transitional shifts, and are rooted in continuous self-discovery. She states: “This work has allowed myself a lens for curiosity to bloom and reflect back to me as a way to understand my own identity and inner landscapes.”

43 AJ SCHNETTLER www.ajschnettler.com ajschnettler

AJ Schnettler is a nonbinary, multi-racial photographer and printmaker born and raised on Long Island. They decided to get a new perspective on life and education by moving to pursue their B.F.A. degree in Photography with a minor in Printmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2019. Their work is based around what one does to provide self-acceptance. Working through identity or the space surrounding them; how to feel at peace overcoming negative, social, and cultural pressure.

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45 LAURA CLEARY WILLIAMS www.lauraclearywilliams.com lauraclearywilliams

Laura Cleary Williams’ abstract spaces are an ode to an imperfect language. Through motion, she makes marks that translate thought - subconscious – a viscerally understood language. Williams works from her hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 2009 she received her B.F.A. from Tufts University and the SMFA, Boston and her Master’s in Printmaking in 2012 at SCADAtlanta. Williams founded, managed, and coowned Straw Hat Press, which specialized in fine art publishing and contract printing.

46 KATIE DUMESTRE YAQUINTO katiedyaquinto.com katiedumestreyaquinto

Katie Dumestre Yaquinto is a contemporary artist based in New Orleans. She attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and LSU where she studied fashion design and merchandising. My work primarily focuses on introspection. My practice allows me to process and express my innermost thoughts and feelings through various brush strokes and mark making. These distinctive marks have become my own private visual language and have developed over time through body movement and muscle memory

47 ZIFENG ZANG www.zifengzang.com zifengzang

Zifeng Zang, an abstract painter based in Philadelphia, passionately explores the intuitive sense of color and how nature inspires and informs her work. Her love for art began at a young age, leading to dual BFA degrees from Jilin University in China and West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Her extensive career experience in graphic design and brand management in China honed her skills, but she always felt drawn to traditional painting. Now, Zifeng focuses on developing her favorite abstract style, a universal language for expressing personal experiences and emotions through color and form, connecting viewers to the natural world.

48 JOSEFINA ZORRILLA DE SAN MARTIN www.josefinazorrilla.com josefinaz.art

Josefina Zorrilla de San Martin is a South American painter born in Uruguay and living in Maui, Hawaii. She is deeply inspired by the contrasts in Nature as a reflection of the dualities that exist in us. Working intuitively across multiple pieces she works fast, applying random marks and loose brushstrokes. She describes her process like a dance, every move is a reaction to the previous one.

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VALERIE AUERSPERG, Wild Ride, acrylic on canvas, 19.6x27.5in 139