PARADICE PALASE is a love letter to artists, art enthusiasts, and anyone who’s ever wanted to be part of a welcoming contemporary art world. Founded in 2017, it’s evolved from a Bushwick apartment project to a gallery with a 10-artist studio to an artist membership program to a community hub collaborating with folks like NADA, Future Fair, and House of Yes. Today, it lives on as a platform for connection, curiosity, and reimagining how the art world can work.

In 2026, we are shifting to a Substack community, which will include access to new posts and past features, as well as any free and ticketed events we host in New York City.

We’ll be launching a podcast interview subscription through our Substack, where we will chat with contemporary arts industry folks about their work, touching on relevant topics for arts workers and the art curious. This subscription will also include exclusive access to certain events and content, as well as first access to limited RSVP and ticketed events such as gallery tours, studio visits, etc.

Welcome and we’re delighted to have you here!

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We hosted our 2nd year of partnership with ChaNorth to offer a residency fellowship to a PARADICE PALASE artist.

ChaNorth is a residency program from the non-profit ChaShaMa that offers live/work space for artists and writers to create unrestricted, surrounded by the rural beauty of upstate NY. Up to two artists from our network are selected annually for this fellowship opportunity.

Meet our 2025 Fellows:

Congrats to Anna Guarneri & Pam Poquette who were awarded a split Fellowship during August 2025. See what our Fellows have to say about their residency experience below:

"My time at ChaNorth was a dream, really – it offered a retreat from the responsibilities of early motherhood to connect, reflect, and create in a beautiful setting.

I was amazed by the breadth and quality of professional development opportunities offered during the residency, including field trips, dinners, and studio visits with gallerists.  I came away from ChaNorth with new connections and a better sense of the Hudson Valley art scene - such a gift for an emerging artist." - Pam Poquette

"My time at ChaNorth was a dream, really – it offered a retreat from the responsibilities of early motherhood to connect, reflect, and create in a beautiful setting.

I was amazed by the breadth and quality of professional development opportunities offered during the residency, including field trips, dinners, and studio visits with gallerists.  I came away from ChaNorth with new connections and a better sense of the Hudson Valley art scene - such a gift for an emerging artist." - Anna Guarneri

ChaNorth 2025 Residents:

Not only did we place two artists in our Fellowship this year, but we had a selection of our PARADICE artists get accepted into the residency season in 2025. Congrats to our PP folks who attended a residency this year! These artists include Adina Andrus, Kathleen Beausoleil, Allison DeBritz, Jacob Hicks, Mallory Concetta Smith, & Melanie Brewster.

More about ChaNorth:

ChaNorth upholds the storied tradition of the Hudson Valley by providing local and international artists with a supportive and secluded environment in which to create new work. The artist residency is embedded in the rural communities of the surrounding towns, serving as a cultural resource for the Hudson Valley. The program offers networking, exhibition and teaching opportunities and promotes awareness and understanding of visual arts in a rural community through engagement with the artists. ChaNorth also sustains a successful partnership with McEnroe Organic Farm to supply healthy, fresh produce for the artist residency through a work exchange program.

The application deadline for the 2026 has passed, but you can find information about applying on the ChaNorth website. We suggest following along on their Instagram account (@chanorthartresidency) for news and events!

view studio & field trip images from our 2025 PARADICE x ChaNorth Fellows below

Field trip to KinoSaito

Field trip to Magazzino Italian Art

Anna Guarneri WIP

Field trip to The Wassaic Project

Anna Guarneri WIP

Pam Poquette WIP

Hang out on Pam's new outdoor soft sculpture

Field trip to Re Institute

Pam Poquette WIP   

There is something simple about subverting the fork or spoon. These are two common objects in the world. Utilitarian and standardized. In keeping within these two templates there is a whole world of possibility in their manipulation. The sculptures are nonfunctional and delicate. There is a twist and pull to them. Outside of their magic, the impulse to touch is great as we are so used to these tactile objects in our daily life. However, the way they are stretched, shaped, or warped hinders my ability to touch them. They stand alone in their hubris. So much so that they carry each other’s weight or are inserted in the tips of their larger form. There is a crudeness about these works even with their polished refinement. There are stories that I want to tell through a fork or spoon.

Read our interview with Hiroshi below!

Installation view of works at Seven House Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2023

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

HS: I meticulously construct works that resemble mundane useful objects, like spoons and forks, but with twists of humor and whimsy that transform them from practical to sculptural.

Extract It, Wood, concrete, 2024

Big Snot, Resin, concrete, 8 x 2 x 2 inches, 2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

HS: When it seems possible to elevate an idea that's so silly no one else would think of it into art.

PP: What is your favorite medium and why?

HS: Wood and metal. Both of them has own character on surface so fun to use them :)

Studio view of completed works, WIP, and supplies

PP: Do you ever work collaboratively and how so? Why or why not?

HS: Making video work with actors and animals but I don’t like to collaborate with another artist because they are selfish and I’m too.

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

HS: Growing plants and being barked at by a dog.

To learn more about Hiroshi’s work, see his Instagram and Website

Amelia Biewald works actively as a professional artist, educator and curator. Amelia is a member of Rosalux Gallery in Minneapolis, MN, WAAM in Woodstock, NY and the Equity Gallery in NYC. She is the founder of Army Of Frogs Studio in High Falls, NY where she resides and curates for the gallery. 

Read our interview with Amelia below!

Autour de la Fin du Monde, Multi-media installation with central “disco ball” sculpture (144 x 144 inches), hand made wallpaper, and video projection with lighting elements

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

AB: I usually think of a preliminary theme or idea for a piece when I am not in the studio. I make sure to put it in my “Notes” on my phone. Much of my work is based on history and art history, so I then research the topic or related topics via books and historical copies of texts using the internet. For the actual MAKING part of the work, I start with sketches and jot down ideas of what could work. I think of longevity and where the piece might be shown. If I know it is going to be shown in a certain place, I find a floor plan and figure out the lighting and what is available to me. This is very important when I do larger installations. Then I work from the sketches and notes on materials to start the process. This process then evolves as I make decisions about the work in progress and make edits- sometimes these edits greatly change the format of the work and sometimes it comes together more easily and follows the ideas I visualized in the sketches. Large pieces and installations usually become severely altered from my original plan, but a lot of my paintings and 2D works follow my original thought process. 

Mother’s Darling, Mixed media sculpture and watercolor painting combo, ceramic sculpture 5 x 4 x 5 inches, painting 10 x 8 inches 

The Argument, Ink and watercolor on hand-marbled rag paper, 30 x 22 inches 

PP: What motivates you to make art?

AB: I have a pretty vivid and crazy imagination and feel the need to create works that capture that and make me feel energized and excited about the final look of the piece. I often combine ideas and odd combinations of objects and materials that push my skill set as a maker, while at the same time make me laugh. I find the humorous aspect of stories and situations that I try to re-create in my own way push me to resolve the works in progress. There is a certain way my brain tells me something should look, and I work on the piece until it approaches that vision. Deadlines are also a major motivation, as well as critiques and work by other artists that I feel is successful. 

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

AB: I am working on two large works that I want to be shown together as a sort of installation. A main goal for me is to be able to find an exhibition space that will allow me to use a lot of space, and be able to control the lighting and things like that. I also want the gallery, art center or museum to help me with some installation costs and physical assistance with the art installation itself. 

You Make Me Feel Like I’m Seventeen Again, ink and watercolor on Japanese paper on panel with acrylic, 34 x 32 inches. 

15 Bad Habits, Cast rubber, electrical elements, resin clay, chandelier crystals, antique bronze mirrors, 78 x 72 x 12 inches

PP: What are ways you support other artists? 

AB: I also work as a curator and am always on the lookout for new and innovative works by artists. I like to show work I respect and that I think is good. I try to go to as many openings of peers work that I can and also collect. 

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

AB: I am sort of obsessed with gardening and think of my yard as a sort of painting. I plan color combinations and sizes of the plants and how they relate to the ones next to them as if I was planning a painting. 

To learn more about Amelia’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Jolene below!

June, Found yarns and steel woven on floor loom, 5 x 6 feet, 2020

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

JD: Like many New Yorkers, my studio is my apartment. New work is born out of falling in love with a new material or process. Currently, that love is twining waxed linen to create both useful vessels and sculptural forms. Twining feels familiar because I have done a lot of floor-loom weaving and am comfortable with the slow process. I think a lot about the muscle groups I use while making, and the connection between that part of my body and the art object that is produced.

Muscle Memory, Liquid porcelain on steel plates, 12 x 12 inches, 2024

95 on 81, Found yarns and steel woven on floor loom, 12 x 18 inches, 2023

PP: What motivates you to make art?

JD: It’s really a physical instinct. I like to touch materials and use my hands to think through ideas. Drawing and painting is a more psychological, concept-based process for me which involves a lot of searching and yearning for the outcome to take shape. Weaving, basketry and other processes I am starting to learn such as metalsmithing are more playful and direct. For me, craft is like escapsim.

PP: What is your favorite medium and why?

JD: My eternally favorite medium is weaving baskets with round reed. I had the opportunity to learn this skill in 2019 and fell in love. I love the necessity of water in the process, the chemical reactions happening in wet and dry reed, and the subtle sculpting that happens as a vessel is grown. I also love hearing basket weavers talk about their craft and thinking about the history and primal relevance of these forms.

WIP: beginning of a woven waxed linen vessel

PP: What challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you overcome them?

JD: Balancing my day job, which is my livelihood, with the constant desire to be making. I am fortunate as a teacher to have work breaks throughout the year which help me plan out when and how I can have full studio time. I am learning to pace myself during the school year and maintain stamina to make my own art after hours.

PP: What is your process like for critiquing your own work?

JD: Whether a project is in progress or done, I use my phone to take a lot of photos and videos of it. When I am at work, commuting, out in the world, I take time to look at the photos and try to see them objectively. The reality is a lot of artwork is perceived only online these days, so I try to consider a piece from a purely digital standpoint. I then can return to the physical piece and make tangible adjustments. It’s also helpful to share photos in progress with certain friends or family members. It takes a lot of time and consideration before I share my work.

PP: What challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you overcome them?

JD: Balancing my day job, which is my livelihood, with the constant desire to be making. I am fortunate as a teacher to have work breaks throughout the year which help me plan out when and how I can have full studio time. I am learning to pace myself during the school year and maintain stamina to make my own art after hours.

PP: What is your process like for critiquing your own work?

JD: Whether a project is in progress or done, I use my phone to take a lot of photos and videos of it. When I am at work, commuting, out in the world, I take time to look at the photos and try to see them objectively. The reality is a lot of artwork is perceived only online these days, so I try to consider a piece from a purely digital standpoint. I then can return to the physical piece and make tangible adjustments. It’s also helpful to share photos in progress with certain friends or family members. It takes a lot of time and consideration before I share my work.

To learn more about Jolene’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Judi below!

Studio view in Brooklyn, NY

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

JK: A typical day at my studio is arriving early and staying late. Certain days are reserved for making sketches. I will make drawings with Crayola markers and oil pastels in bold colors. After the sketches are complete, I often cut up and collage my sketches. Sketching and planning are an important process when I’m creating a painting.

I often give myself a goal to reach; for a couple of years, almost each week, I gave myself a deadline to finish at least five 16X20 inch canvases in two days. I wanted to have as many ideas as possible and to further develop my visual vocabulary.

It’s important for me to have empty canvases to paint on or empty spaces to encourage the flow of new work. I like to change the way I work. I believe switching mediums or ideas forces me to change my way of thinking from one project to the next. This prevents me from having creative blocks and gives me sparks of inspiration.

Midnight’s Creatures, Acrylic, fabric and modeling paste on canvas, 36 X 48 inches, 2024

Gaia’s Garden, Acrylic, fabric and modeling paste on canvas, 36 X 48 inches, 2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

JK: I make art because I like what I create and by nature I am curious. If I had to follow a particular formula, I would not enjoy making art. Art is playtime... and the best artists are the ones who have the most fun playing.

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

JK: I intend to create more movement directness in my paintings. Each brush stroke will have freedom, looseness and confidence. I am going bigger with my canvases. Painting larger for me is to move across the canvas with rhythm and liveliness. People will see more energy in my paintings this year.

Work in progress

PP: What role do you think artists have in society today? What role should they have?

JK: When I create, I attempt to make work that surprises people in some way. Maybe they will question what art is supposed to be and feel inspired. Artists are leaders. They inspire and influence how we think. Artists are bold and they challenge us to think big and push boundaries of what is considered art. Art can provoke thought and explore new possibilities. Artists also give a sense of community where their work is seen and discovered.

PP: Name a childhood toy (or memory/cultural reference) you had, that you think relates to your practice today.

JK: So, there are two things come to mind. My aunt was a painter; she would teach me how to use color with light and atmosphere in my paintings. She showed me the paint applications of the impressionists. I loved their direct vibrant colors applied straight out of the tube. Their application of paint inspired me to push saturated color further. The impressionists inspired me to create a lively mood in my work with color.

I was fascinated with music videos. I loved the Avant Garde styles, especially the fashion. My interest varied when I was young. I was a dancer, musician and artist, so MTV completely captivated me. Videos were movement, sound, and visuals all in one. I loved the bold graphics. My interest in music videos motivated me to find inspiration from sources other than art history. My work draws interest from fashion, patterns, textiles and often folk or outsider art.

PP: What would a dream project look like for you as an artist?

JK: A dream project would be a painting marathon leading to a solo exhibition. I would like a large space filled with 48X60 inch blank canvases. Each canvas would have a unique palette. No two paintings would have the same paint combination. The palette would be pre-mixed and ready to go. I would only have a couple of days to complete them. I tend to make my best work when it is easy and not overworked. It would be interesting to see what I could make if I was painting large scale with a limited amount of time.

To learn more about Judi’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Her work speaks through masks and textiles of surreal lands of masked creatures. The masks, or wearables, are made of scavenged materials ranging in process from crochet, knit, sewn, or woven textiles. She draws upon her own cultural histories of mask wearers, elements of power and kink, and historical scenes of concealment. She wants to be hidden and completely present, vulnerable and protected while playing with textiles and lore. 

Currently she is making art about the themes and myths of motherhood and her desires and discomforts within the role. Objects of Play is based on the amorphous entity that is a mother, and how she engages with the kink and the “stuffness” of toddlerhood.

Read our interview with Caroline below!

Installation view of Lounging Mothers, Digital print on crushed velour, custom wooden floating shelf, 24 x 34 x 5 inches, 2024

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

CM: As my life has evolved, my work has evolved. Becoming a parent has been a huge creative act and also a monopolizer of my time and energy. I work steadily in pockets of time when possible making masks and creating photographs from this new position in life. For me it’s fluid both in location, task, and time spent. My time might be spent invested in material play with my child as this fuels my latest work, playing with blocks on my own, creating sketches for future photos with my child’s toys, crocheting new headpieces, or designing fabric prints of my photos or my child’s art. It’s a wide range.

Blóm 1, Digital print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, custom frame, 17 x 13 x 1.5 inches

Fringe for Salvatore, Grandma’s arm chair upholstery fabric, fringe, velvet trim, gold lamé, thread , metal armature, wooden headpiece, 2022-2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

CM: I feel strongly about making artwork about the mothering experience that displays my family, a two-mom family caregiving for our now toddler. There is so much to say and share from this position and it feels like I am speaking to a much larger audience with this current work. I’m more driven to keep going after becoming a parent. It's really nice to be able to collaborate with my family in this way. Salvatore, our child, is not always a willing participant, but loves playing with all the materials and is a constant source of inspiration for the work.

I’m very attracted to texture and color. As a former painter and printmaker turned sculptural textile and photo artist, I have always been in love with the contradictory nature of working in two mediums at the same time. I love surface quality and working with my hands. I create photo narratives with lots of visual texture and have started to print my photographs on fabrics to play with light and physical textures. This dual focus draws inspiration from the everyday and imaginative worlds. The wearables are inspired first by the material itself. I am drawn to upholstery cord, trim, and fringes and scavenged rope. 

Working with children and materials is especially inspiring to me. I feel lucky to work with young children daily as a studio teacher, and I learn a lot from them.

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice? 

CM: I would appreciate having more eyes on my work. I’d love more critiques and conversations with other artists as I create this new body of work. I am also focused on building towards a solo show in 2025.

Bundinn 1, Digital print on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag, custom frame, 9 x 7 x 1.5 inches

PP: Is community something you value in your practice? Why or why not?

CM: Community means a lot to me.  As a parent, my world can feel small. My connection to the queer and art communities can sometimes feel even smaller. I am looking for new ways to find support, community, and connection with artists during this new phase of my life. 

Joining online networks like Art Mamas and Paradice Palase has made me feel connected. Taking a crit course with Vantage Points has helped me to continue the practice of studio critique. The Mother Creatrix Collective, a group of 7 artist mothers and curators, has been the best support over the last year. We have created 3 shows together and support each other's studio practice and parenthood journey.

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice? Could be anyone fictional or real, dead or alive!

CM: Salvatore, my kid is my constant muse. Our summer together has been a residency in toddlerhood. We inspire each other through material play. My studio is in our home, and my materials are often available for Sal. There has been lots of binding the house with rope and wrapping of bodies in fabric. And I’ve found the same desire to play with Sal’s toys. I am so impacted by living amongst toys, playing with them, arranging them and cleaning them up multiple times a day. These play materials have become the scavenged materials for my latest work.

To learn more about Caroline’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Elise received a BFA from Northern Kentucky University in 2010 and an MFA at Florida State University in 2016. She attended the Boom Gallery Fellowship + Residency in Cincinnati, OH, in 2015 via an FSU Exceptional Opportunities Award and received the Mary Ola Reynolds Miller Scholarship in Visual Arts in 2016. Additional residencies include Vermont Studio Center, The Wassaic Artist Residency, The Maple Terrace Artist Residency Program, DNA Artist Residency, Stay Home Gallery + Residency, and ChaNorth Artist Residency. Thompson has been published in New American Paintings South #124, Friend of the Artist vol. 8, VAST Magazine vol. 1, Maake Magazine 14, and Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art. Past exhibitions include The Spartanburg Art Museum (SC), The Wassaic Project (NY), Laundromat Art Space (FL), Westobou Gallery (GA), Soft Times Gallery (CA), Florida Mining Gallery (FL), Blah Blah Gallery (PA), Bob’s Gallery (BK), SPRING/ BREAK Art Show (NYC), Ceysson & Bénétière (NYC), Helm Contemporary (NYC), and The Delaware Contemporary (DE). She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Read our interview with Elise below!

Installation view of Hook, Cycle, and Flood in “Ctrl [Alt] Self” curated by Allison Westerfield at Westobou Gallery, Augusta, GA 2022

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

ET: Typical weekday: For now, I work remotely for my job, so I'm in and out of virtual meetings, doing research, writing, managing projects, and doing whatever else needs doing from about 9 am - 5 pm. Sometimes, there are gaps where I can fit in the studio (I have a live/work!). When 5 pm hits, and it's a "studio" evening, that's the priority. I'll eat quickly and work in the studio until about 9 pm. Sometimes, I'll go to about 10 - 11 pm during the week if I'm on a roll. Weekends: maybe it's a studio day all day; perhaps I'm out and about seeing shows; maybe I'm "resting." 

I usually begin with small works on paper when it comes to process. They allow me to loosely work out composition, color palette, and other image aspects before I even think about getting into something more three-dimensional with a painting on the frame. Sometimes, I'll photograph these works on paper, put them in Photoshop, and chop up image elements further with the power to "command + z." I'll reference these flat works and mockups as the jumping-off point for a painting on the frame. I can pick and choose which sections to position under the substrate, between the frame, and above on the clear vinyl. I cut thick illustration board and watercolor paper into sculptural planes, which I then install into the frame as "image infrastructure" for what I want to recede behind the surface physically in the painting. I've even made a fully finished work on paper or illustration board and then decided to deconstruct that work into pieces to rearrange in frames. It's literally constructing/deconstructing/reconfiguring or pushing/pulling. Dura-lar and clear vinyl add extra translucent passes behind the translucent substrate, intersecting gestures obscuring and playing with the viewers' perception and the actual depth of the frame. Once the infrastructure of the work is finalized, I'll stretch clear vinyl, much like canvas, over the stretcher and make an additional painting on top. To put it more simply, I'm making several paintings on top of one another, choosing which parts to conceal and which to reveal through an additive process that feels a lot more like building than just painting.

Cover, Acrylic, glass beads, and mica on dura lar paper and clear vinyl, 36 x 24 inches, 2022 

Maze, Acrylic, glass beads, and mica on dura lar paper and clear vinyl, 48 x 36 inches, 2023

PP: What motivates you to make art?

ET: I make what I make to see how ideas around concealing, revealing, disclosure, and just plain painting can be filtered through visual abstraction; a place where words might fall short. I also sometimes want to see how many referential points I can mix into a single image, from riffing on seemingly silly references like science fiction-like landscape illustrations from the 1950s-1980s, to avant-garde architecture, to veiled mushrooms, to camouflage, to water but still end with an image and object that is elegant, cohesive, and maybe a little bit strange.

PP: Name a childhood toy (or memory/cultural reference) you had, that you think relates to your practice today.

ET: Up until I was officially a “teenager”, I would only watch animated television and movies. Think Cartoon Network (switching over the cable box to “B”), Nickelodeon, Dr. Suess, and Don Bluth films.  Seemingly juvenile and stuck in the mentality of just not wanting to grow up, inundated with pastels and neon within the programming and advertising was probably formative. The color palette alone, children’s nostalgia in animation and marketing in the 80s-90s “made for kids” is an era I come back to in addition to science fiction illustrations. Borrowing colorways from these materials can inevitably result in a very cohesive and strange image. It was oddly comforting but slightly unnerving. Animated palettes are abstracted from reality but are referential because the content is anchored in the familiar.

I love the idea of animated content in film and television, acting as a trojan horse. The Simpsons, for instance, looks like a children’s show, using that aesthetic and language to tackle something larger. Children’s movies by Don Bluth do something similar. There’s a dark underbelly to those films that run parallel to childhood innocence colliding with the unfortunate things that life can throw at you. 

Long story short: With my paintings, I do want to invite you in with luscious, cohesive colors and textures while simultaneously instilling something a bit uncomfortable. It can be frustrating when a translucent surface shields you from what is below. The idea of the “unknown” can make you itch. The difference here is that I’m not serving obvious critiques as one-liners or tackling singular themes. But I am thinking about the “delivery system” of the image like in animation. Looks like one thing, but there’s more to mine. I aim not just to make “beautiful images”, but surfaces that also evoke something eerie, the familiar, hint multiple reference points you just might not be able to completely place. Some sort of in-between. They do more and hopefully say more than one thing. And the viewer is allowed and required to fill in the gaps.

Row, Acrylic, glass beads, and mica on dura lar paper and clear vinyl, 36 x 24 inches, 2023

PP: What are ways you support other artists? 

ET: Whenever I can, I mention the names of artists' friends to other artists, gallerists, curators, etc. I believe you "get what you give", and that generosity in the art world is necessary. The worst thing we can do is view things with a "scarcity mentality" and never build each other up. You have to be willing to help one another.

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

ET: I started baking sourdough in 2017, and wow, is that an art in itself. It's so particular and requires a high level of balance, measurement, and an intuitive touch. I feel like baking is just another practice in "making" that can be shared very easily with others. Also, freshly baked sourdough: you can't beat it. 

To learn more about Elise’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Many of her paintings are like puzzle pieces-often holding disparate vignettes together, each part connected to the whole. Myra strives to contain the often chaotic energy, creating areas of calm and reflection. The artist loves to imbue the work with an ironically cheerful color palette, challenging the viewer to move beyond the carnival-like colors to discover the  underlying conceptual underpinnings of the work. 

Born in Los Angeles, California, Myra has lived in Santa Cruz for fifty years. She was the 2019 recipient of the Santa Cruz County Rydell Fellowship and has exhibited at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, Museum Educado Carrillo, Monterey Peninsula College, and the Santo Foundation’s 2019 10th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition held at Webster University in Saint Luis, Mo. Her work has been featured in the Catamaran Literary Reader, American Art Collector and Studio Visit. Her paintings were also recently acquired by the Contra Costa Medical Center to be a part of their “Resilience Project” permanent collection. 

Read our interview with Myra below!

Portrait of the artist in front of her exhibition A Life’s Work

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

ME: Making new work happens a couple of different ways. Usually its because I’m compelled to explore what keeps me up at night. This was how the series, “God & Country” was  born-a lament as our Country barrels into White Christian Nationalism. I had planned to continue working on these political issues but in late 2022 everything changed when I got sick. I resisted wanting to paint about cancer (believing there are more important things to deal with) but realized I had to. Cancer demons are stalking me and I’m forced to dip deeper. 

Protecting Children: One Book At A Time (from God and Country series), Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 2024

God & Country: Morning class (from God and Country series), Acrylic on canvas, 38 x 46 inches, 2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

ME: Painting keeps me alive, literality. When I was diagnosed with stage 3 inoperable pancreatic cancer I could not work during the months of chemo treatments that left me so brain fogged I was unable to think creatively. It was devastating and not sustainable. I miraculously made it to surgery, remission and recently back to the studio. I now understand that my life is predicated on making art. 

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

ME: My current goal is to stay alive and be able to paint. If I can no longer work, life will cease to have meaning. This is no longer theoretical. My latest series, “Pancreatic Cancer” aims to narrate the traumatic experience of having cancer. My goal is to illuminate and humanize what we cancer patients go through. 

Covid Diaries #1: Gone People Gone, Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48 inches, 2020

PP: What challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you overcome them?

ME: I began to dream of becoming a “real” artist 35 years ago when I was a single mother with two young children and teaching in the Santa Cruz public schools. Getting into the studio happened after teaching and kids put to bed. School vacations became sacrosanct-the luxury of time to think and create. I learned over time to make every moment count. I had to stay focused and ignore the laundry. I had to ignore the nagging voice in my head that said I was just a small town art teacher, and would never find a place for my work. I had to believe in myself. 

PP: What role do you think artists have in society today? What role should they have?

ME: Artists keep us alive or at least sane. especially now when everything seems so dire. In 2016, after the presidential election I helped form an artist collective here in Santa Cruz, ARRT (Artists Respond & Resist Together). Our mission statement is, “We are an affiliation of artists joined together by our shared belief in the power of art to effect social change and protect democratic values. Our creative skills support progressive social actions in our local community and beyond”. We do what we can hoping that creative action can really change the world. 

To learn more about Myra’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Prior to her professional art practice, O’Connor was an educator, teaching early childhood and  special needs learners. In 2015, O’Connor transitioned her focus towards a full-time arts career. She creates immersive installations and narrative bodies of work as storytelling devices. Through a combination of 2d mixed media, sculpture, wearable art, and performance she depicts female  archetypes and surreal entities inspired by mythology and literature, historical reference points,  and contemporary media.

The visual landscape of her work often faces two opposing dichotomies, from dark and visceral,  to vivid color hues filled with camp. The common thread seen throughout her work is shown through her use of surrealism, kitsch aesthetic, maximalist approach and embellishment.

Read our interview with Christy below!

Installation view of The Maiden and the Crone, 2021

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

CO: A typical studio day is determined by where I am in my art process, from planning stage to completion. I am most productive in the mornings, starting with a cup of coffee, as I work. I usually start my days with listmaking. I love a good list, and nothing is more satisfying than crossing tasks off of it.  On the days I forget to begin my practice without a list, I will go back to write down what I’ve accomplished just so I can cross them off. Typically, I am working on multiple works at the time, moving back and forth in the studio between painting and sculpture, usually with trash comfort TV in the background I’ve seen a million times, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or a cult documentary.

My process is actually somewhat fluid. I may have an idea in my head of what I am aiming to create, but it moves and changes as I create. Sculpture comes more naturally to me. There is something about forming shapes and figures with my hands that I find to be relaxing and meditative. It also has this problem solving aspect to it that I just love, especially when it comes to making wearable art; “how will I get this to balance properly?” “will this move with me the way I want it to”, etc. My 2D mixed media works, however, are thought out more meticulously, as I focus on the composition and subject of my work. It is the embellishment stage that I truly love, because it allows me to have spontaneity and brings in those tactile components that I enjoy so much in my practice.

Installation view from the ChaShaMa Gala, 2024

Installation view of In Memoriam, 2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

CO: I honestly don’t know what motivates me to make art. I would say that instead, I feel driven or compelled to create. It is a part of who I am. I have a need for my art practice. Without it, I become depressed and feel purposeless. I have dreams about a piece of artwork I’ve made and I wake up knowing I need to create it. I have these ideas inside of me that need to come out, and I only have a finite time in this world to get them out of me before I no longer can.

PP: What challenges have you faced as an artist and how do you overcome them?

CO: One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced over the years as an artist has been overcoming moments of imposter syndrome and anxiety meeting new people. Once I was finished with school, I abandoned my art practice for over ten years, after a sour experience in higher education, and a lack of confidence in my work and abilities. It was only after all of my artwork from college was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy, that I revisited the work, as I bagged it all up for the garbage, realizing it wasn’t as bad as I had remembered. That was the catalyst for me to renew my art practice. With the help of supportive friends, I began applying to put my work into exhibitions, and learned how to navigate the new terrain. The first few art openings I attended, I stood in the corner, barely talking to anyone, feeling uncomfortable and out of place. I realized, if this was something I really wanted to do, then I needed to figure out a way to change my behavior and mindset, otherwise I was just torturing myself, and to what end? I began to  focus on building meaningful friendships with other artists I met and got to know in more personable settings that I was more relaxed in, including workshops, artist meetups, and even through Instagram messaging. For me, this journey has not been about networking or chasing the next opportunity. It’s about building a community and a support network of people, from so many different walks of life and different perspectives and stages, that I have admired and feel honored to be a part of. Rather than holding myself back, and continuing to allow myself to believe that “I am not good enough” or “I don’t belong” in these spaces, I have told myself, “I get to be a part of these spaces” and “I get to know these other amazing people”. I remind myself that if “I wasn’t good enough” to be in a space, then my work wouldn’t be hanging alongside my peers. Although I may not have completely rid myself from imposter syndrome and social anxiety, I continue to use strategies to help me grow more comfortable in these space and in my own skin from professional workshops I have taken, artist podcasts, like The Artist Advisory, Pep Talks for Artists  and  Art Problems, and books they’ve recommended along the way.

Her Tongue Was Filled with Poison, For It Spoke the Truth, Mixed media painting (acrylic, watercolor, pen & ink, intaglio, photo transfer of performance still), 21 x 27 inches, 2021

PP: What role do you think artists have in society today? What role should they have?

CO: I believe every artist has their own self defined role and personal journey. Every artist’s role in society is as unique as they are. While some artists are driven towards the political realm, others may be focused on understanding themselves and the world around them better. Some artists may simply be driven to create for the sake of it, driven to make something that may bring others joy or beauty into the world, or to create meditative processes for themselves. I am personally drawn to artwork that speaks to a larger narrative of the body politic and creates a dialogue. But I believe art is holistic. Everyone has a right to it. Everyone has a right to make it. Everyone has a right to create what they want for themselves or for others.

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice? Could be anyone fictional or real, dead or alive!

CO: I have many muses in my art practice.  I have an entire series of work dedicated to a modern day caricature of Marie Antoinette. I use her as a vehicle to discuss the current state of late stage capitalism and its parallels to the French Revolution in terms of wealth inequality and economic oppression, coupled with the seemingly insatiable appetites of the upper crust, and how women within that class structure play dueling roles as both the oppressed and the oppressor.

To learn more about Christy’s work, see her Instagram and Website

artwork by Lynette Sauer

After careful consideration of many applicant requests for a flexible 2-week term, two artists were selected to be our inaugural fellows - congratulations to members Claire Sherwood and Lynnette Sauer!

installation view of sculpture by Claire Sherwood

Both artists will share the month-long Fellowship for ChaNorth’s August Residency session.

Claire is an interdisciplinary artist who is also a parent and teacher; she will be working on a project related to Hudson Valley soil that will be exhibited upstate in the Fall of 2024. Lynnette is an artist who also works a full-time day job and has not yet attended a residency, so this will be her very first! We are thrilled to support both of these artists in developing their projects this summer. If you find yourself in the Hudson Valley this August, we encourage visits to their studios and to connect with the ChaNorth community in Pine Plains. 

You can follow them at

@clairesherwoodstudio | www.clairesherwood.com
@lynnettetherese | www.lynnettetherese.com

Claire Sherwood

Lynnette Sauer

For more about our Fellowship and why we chose ChaNorth as our partner, read our announcement post.

Born and raised in Norway, Saeboe graduated from the School of Visual Arts in 2015. Currently, she is part of the group exhibition Vapours of Delphi at Whaam! Gallery, on view through June 29th. She has also exhibited at the SVA Flatiron Gallery, All Street Gallery, NADA Art Fair with Paradice Palase, and attended the NES Residency in Iceland.

Read our interview with Lisa below!

install view from Shells For Teeth, a two-person exhibition with Kate Jones & Lisa Saeboe at SVA Flatiron Project Space, 2023

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

LS: Usually I’ll get a vague idea or feeling for a series that I'll let simmer for a few months. Recently I’ve been getting a lot of visions for my paintings in my dreams, or right before I fall asleep, in that lucid almost-dream state. When I’ve collected enough visions, I art direct and shoot a reference photograph of each— usually transforming my apartment to a makeshift photo studio. My partner Jake helps me light the scenes. I’ll work from those reference images for months, sometimes years because oil painting takes so damn long for me (I wish I was a faster painter but I’ve accepted that I’ll never be). Then I’ll map out the paintings in the studio and get to them in order of what makes me most excited to explore at that time.

I typically only draw at home in front of the enormous oak tree in my backyard that all the birds like to visit. The crows and grackles love to say hi when I’m drawing and sometimes they tell me secrets. In the fall I walk through my neighborhoods and collect all the leaves I feel a connection with. After pressing them, I’ll use them throughout the winter to create watercolor backgrounds for my drawings. It’s a way for me to stay connected to the natural world during the dark winter months.

Path of Totality, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30 inches, 2024

Asymptote, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30 inches, 2024

PP: What motivates you to make art?

LS: To be honest I don’t feel like I have a choice. If I don’t create, my world starts to feel like it’s caving in. I hate to use the word therapeutic, but it really is for me. It's how I make sense of the world and my emotions. Recently artmaking for me has been a lot about looking inward, trying to understand my own subconscious, spirituality, and relationship to the natural world.

PP: Do you ever work collaboratively and how so? Why or why not?

LS: Yes! Although I value the alone time I get from painting and drawing, collaboration with others is crucial to me (I’m a leo). I love filmmaking in particular because it’s such an inherently collaborative medium. 

My friend and fellow artist Kate Jones and I met when we were studying abroad in Rome where we made our first art film together. Since then we made another art film at the NES residency in Iceland based on a local folktale about milk stealing worms created by witches. We had a two-person exhibition together at the SVA Flatiron Gallery last year which was in a way an homage to our 10+ years of collaborating. I also collaborate often with my fiancé Jake Moore who is a director and cinematographer. We co-directed a music video for our friend Rare DM and hope to do more together soon. In the future, I want to take my love of collaborating further by curating an exhibition featuring all the incredible artists I’m fortunate enough to know.

Studio view at PARADICE PALASE’s Oasis Studios in Brooklyn, NY

PP: Who or what has had the biggest impact on your creative practice?

LS: I’ve been blessed with many wonderful humans who have encouraged me and my practice, but I owe a lot to my former professor and visual artist Peter Hristoff.  He was one of my instructors during the SVA study abroad program in Rome and really taught me how to love and appreciate painting. He has such a romantic way of speaking about art that was infectious to me. After seeing all the Caravaggios on a school trip to Villa Borghese, I knew I wanted to be a painter. To this day, he still encourages me and gives me helpful insight with regards to my work and I’m so grateful to have him as a mentor and friend.

PP: Name a childhood toy (or memory/cultural reference) you had, that you think relates to your practice today.

LS: It would most definitely be the memories from my grandparents’ cabin in Tunhovd, Norway. When we’d visit, my dad would read me fairytales by Asbjørnsen & Moe, which a lot of the time were terrifying but instilled a lifelong love for folktales and the supernatural. In the summertime in the mountains, I would pick cloudberries with my grandmother and she’d tell me the name of each single wildflower we passed. She was a painter as well and taught me how to see the beauty in the natural world.

To learn more about Lisa’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Bones, rusted bits, dead computers and detritus are scavenged and transformed with alchemical processes - creating a Queering - shifting the way these objects exist in reality and inviting the viewer into that shifted reality through sonic interaction. Sound and frequency become pathways to facilitate transformation in the cells of our bodies and brains. Transmitting experience of Queerness and creating a narrative that is not based on othering but on sharing.

Read our interview with Christopher below!

install view of The Raven Machine, Found detritus, bone, epoxy clay, grave rubbings, epoxy clay, quartz, amethyst, fluorite, LED lights, charcoal, computer, Ableton, microphone, speakers, and lava rock, 46 x 46 x 86 inches, 2022-23

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

CT: Everyday is really different depending on what’s going on in my brain or with deadlines. Sometimes I’m naturally more focused on one piece and other times I’m bouncing back and forth between lots of different stuff. I work with a lot of different mediums so things tends to change and shift a lot with my practice.

It’s hard to pinpoint where new work comes from, but everything for me, always starts with drawing. I’ll draw everything out first. It won’t always be exactly where I land, but I like some sort of map - some sort of idea of where I’d like to go, and then I just figure out what I need to work towards that.

There Will Be A Reckoning, Rusted steel, iron spikes, quartz, feather, looped film on iPad, brushed aluminum, 12 x 12 x 5 inches, 2024

Studio View

PP: What motivates you to make art?

CT: I think for me, making art is akin to breathing - it’s a way that I exist with and inside of this world. Really just existing as a Queer person on this planet motivates me to make art.

PP: What are ways you support other artists?

CT: I really enjoy organizing and curating shows - I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity a few times and it’s really just, rad to bring artists and their communities together. We get to learn so much from each other in those spaces - I always find that really inspiring. 

Screaming Into The Grave, Graphite and charcoal on custom printed black paper, 17 x 11 inches, 2023

PP: Name a childhood toy (or memory/cultural reference) you had, that you think relates to your practice today.

CT: LEGOS. I’ve always loved a LEGO and since incorporating more sculptural elements into my practice - that influence has really crystalized.

PP: Is community something you value in your practice? Why or why not?

CT: Absolutely. I tend to think that the whole point of art is to move the needle a bit and the only way we get to do that is through connecting with each other and sharing our stories, our selves - and that’s really done in community with each other.

To learn more about Christopher’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Kristen below!

Where are we Going, soft sculpture with machine embroidery, 10 x 17 x 9 inches, 2020

PP: What motivates you to make art?

KH: The world fascinates me endlessly. Art is a place where I can ask, what is the phenomenology of life in this time and place? How am I experiencing the world, what stories am I telling myself? I value art as a means of probing the mystery under daily life, of capturing the magic of compelling places and experiences. It’s especially exciting when other people connect with the work on this level.

Mirror Image I, machine embroidery with transfer print on dyed canvas, 9 x 12 inches, 2020

Remain to Work, acrylic paint and colored pencil on panel, 11 x 14 inches, 2022

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

KH: I am always reading–fiction, nonfiction, op-eds– and my reading and research is kind of a parallel practice that fuels my art.  I synthesize my experiences and readings through journaling and doodling, which is where new ideas and connections tend to take shape for me.  With some ideas, I’ll whip up a thumbnail sketch or a title and dive right into painting, while others take a lot more coaxing, preparatory drawing and mulling over.  

It’s hard to describe a typical day in my studio, since I am working around a fairly irregular freelance schedule, but I always start by putting on my purple painting pants.

PP: Do you ever work collaboratively and how so? Why or why not?

KH: Collaboration is something I am more and more interested in!  Recently, as I’ve become more involved with the world of performance, I’ve had some really exciting opportunities to work with other artists either realizing their projects, or coming up with something together.  It’s always a treat to see into other peoples’ skills and approaches in action, to make something fundamentally different than any party involved could have made on their own.

Lifeblood II, gouache on cold press watercolor paper, 7 x 5 inches, 2022

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice? Could be anyone fictional or real, dead or alive!

KH: Not a person, but household objects have been a fascination of mine for a while.  I’m really interested in the innocuous objects and conveniences that anchor our daily rituals, like coffee makers, air fryers and wall calendars.  We overlook these objects because we think of them as commonplace, but every one is the result of extremely intentional design and marketing decisions, and the product of an intricate and unsustainable global supply chain.

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

KH: I am trying to loosen up and trust my instincts.  Sometimes, going into a piece, I get caught up on the specifics of imagery, logistics and formal qualities, and I end up stalling out.  This year, I’m trying to bring ideas out in the studio before I fully understand them, leaning on my intuition and the qualities of the material, and trusting that the work will surprise me in the process.

To learn more about Kristen’s work, see her Instagram and Website

In her series “Period Piece” (2006 ongoing), she appliqués texts of wisdom with humor to feminine hygiene napkins. Ie: “look before you leap.”

Hair in all forms is a favorite art material of hers because of its spiritual qualities. Hair is able to “live” radiantly long after its donor has died. Hair may contain the essence of its donor’s person and her soul. (refer to what the apostle Paul says about hair.). Hair is seen as imbued with magic. In “Sky Curtain with Bringing in the Sheaves,” (2024), LaThoriel uses HAIR nets to form the Milky Way as she remembers it from the prairie. To energize the sheaves she placed family hair onto the sheaves.

To make her coat “Herstory” (2024), she formed a coat from a vintage London theatre curtains then stitched text and personally potent symbols of the artist’s life into its lining, revealed only when “Herstory” is spread wide open. 

To assemble hand held sculptures “Assignments” (2024). LaThoriel centers various banal novelties and rhinestones around spent ammunition bullets to garnish a flaccid “Wake” focused on a mother’s hope for a Lazarus event.

Read our interview with LaThoriel below!

installation view of Period Piece, feminine napkins with mixed fabric, beads, applique, 2006 - 2024

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

LB: In the morning, the first thing I do is make my coffee and walk around each room in my house that serves as a studio, and look for things that speak to me with humor: objects and symbols that make me giggle but also make me think. I usually have 5 or 6 things going at one time, so as I move through each room I like to check on the health of those objects. I never see my work as finished or put it behind glass. If it is finished it is dead, where as if it lives in my home and offers the opportunity to be modified it grows.

Herstory, Theater curtain, embroidery, 2024 (closed view)

Herstory, Theater curtain, embroidery, 2024 (open view view)

PP: What motivates you to make art?

LB: Making art is all I know. The idea that motivates me to make art is the lingering question of “what if?”. My work aims to solve this question with objects, materials, and text compilations that respond to or probe this problem with a visual. “Ambiguity” is essential to be present for any kind of audience.

PP: Do you ever work collaboratively and how so? Why or why not?

LB: This year, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with Giovanna Lazzarini who brings technical new media skills that involves my practice at a deeper level. Our goal is to explore larger social and anthropological theme and get work discussed from a greater purview: i.e museums, non profit, etc. Seeking collaboration opens up new perspective and opportunity for work to grow and live, widens my laborious handwork into new digital life and means.

Sky Curtain, Hairnets, acrylic paint, curtain fabric, upcycled fabric, ribbons, hornets' nest, paper jewels, beads, thread, 132 x 15 x 81 inches, 2024 (detail image)

PP: What are ways you support other artists?

LB: We are all in this game. It is essential to support other artists because you increase the opportunity, pleasure, and successes that advance the industry. I feel strongly that the people I have encouraged by giving have nurtured me as an artist and as a female artist. Directly give artists in need money with no questions or strings attached. Share information about work flows and opportunities that might align with their practice or peak interest.

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice?

LB: Susan Hamburger, is a multi-media artist in Brooklyn, New York. Her work is my muse, that touches every part of my spirit. Its political and gorgeous. Whether its fantasy, drawing/painting on walls, elegant wall panels, paper mache birds, paper helmets, color swatches, everything she has ever done. Her color chemistry always contributes to her message in a potent way. Everything I could ever dream of my work to be has been accomplished by Susan.

To learn more about LaThoriel’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Her soft sculptures portray a tragic sense of humor, celebrating the hidden beauty she finds in anxieties. Her creatures are metaphors for anxiety, weight gain, and aging. Kelly finds humor in her struggles with social anxiety, and changes in her body, and all her attempts to be “comfortable in her own skin”.

Read our interview with Kelly below!

Unicorn Tapestry, taxidermy, glitter, yarn, organza, and fur, 12 x 8 x 5 feet, 2016

PP: What motivates you to make art?

KB: My art is a way for me to wrap my head around something mysterious or start to understand a certain conflict in my life. It is a way of processing difficulty in relationships, fears of death, or understanding my social anxiety. Hopefully the viewer can project their own fears onto the work and process them, in the “safe space” created by all of the soft materials. 

I love when I can surprise myself by trying a new material or technique – it’s addictive.  I also feel a responsibility to my students to be a practicing artist. I can go through the struggles of art making with them and empathize more easily. 

If I am ever in a rut, or feeling artist block, I will look through my art books. Of course, looking at works in person is ideal, but there is something about sitting with a book where it feels more intimate, and I can go at my own pace.

The artist at work in her studio

Studio view

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

KB: Often, my ideas start from a work from Art History. By the end of the process, the reference is usually not recognizable, but it is a helpful springboard for the work.  I like to start with a rough gesture sketch and then dive into making hundreds of small parts that later get assembled into a larger work. I also take a small travel sewing kit and smaller pieces in my purse, and catch a few minutes sewing here and there at restaurants, waiting rooms, etc. I assemble all the parts together at home in my studio.

PP: Do you ever work collaboratively and how so? Why or why not?

KB: Yes. I am a member of a performance art band called “Glitter Chariot”. I am not a trained musician, so it is an interesting challenge for me. I especially love contributing to making the costumes. Members of the band were my former students and my former professor. I think that this has helped me think differently about teaching. I try not to think about a hierarchy in the classroom and instead think of it more like a group of artists collaborating.

Crawling Skin, yarn, organza, glitter, beads, plastic found objects, and faux fur on canvas, 8 feet x 4 feet x 10 inches, 2022

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice? Could be anyone fictional or real, dead or alive!

KB: My cat Sparkles is definitely my muse! I am currently making a sphinx that is a hybrid of Sparkles and me. I have been looking at a lot of Leonor Fini for inspiration. I was kind of late discovering her work, so it seems new and exciting for me. 

PP: What is your favorite medium and why?

KB: Yarn is my favorite medium. When people think of yarn, it might remind them of their grandmother and crochet. In my work, yarn lends itself perfectly to making something that looks like intestines and gore. I think it’s fun to play with people’s expectations in this way.

To learn more about Kelly’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Kim below!

View of Kim’s studio in Brooklyn, NY

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

KR: Each day in my studio begins with setting up my materials and creating a quiet, focused atmosphere. I start by reflecting on ideas or emotions that inspire me, often listening to music to set the mood. I approach my work intuitively, letting each brushstroke or movement guide the next, exploring colors and textures until a piece feels complete.

Insomniac, Oil on canvas, 22 x 28 inches, 2024

A Balancing Act, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 2023

PP: What motivates you to make art?

KR: What motivates me to make art is primarily driven by my emotions. It's a deeply personal journey where I explore and express my feelings through color and form. I thrive on challenging myself, particularly when experimenting with new color combinations. It's akin to solving a puzzle, finding the right balance and harmony on the canvas. Creating art allows me to channel my energy and emotions, serving as a form of meditation and self-discovery. Moreover, I find great fulfillment in connecting with people through my artwork, sharing stories and eliciting emotions that resonate universally.

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

KR: My goal for this year is to establish art as a more substantial source of income by expanding my Etsy shop. I'm thoroughly enjoying translating my paintings into various products and developing a cohesive brand identity. This endeavor not only allows me to explore new avenues for my art but also aims to create a sustainable income stream from my creative endeavors.

View of Introspection, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 2022

PP: What is your favorite medium and why?

KR: My favorite medium right now is oil paint, primarily because of the challenge it brings to learn something new. Unlike acrylic, oil painting feels much more methodical and deliberate, allowing me to explore depth and richness in ways that acrylic alone cannot achieve.I've found joy in layering oil over acrylic, enhancing the depth and boldness of my paintings. This process has added a new layer of complexity and richness to my art practice, making each piece more immersive and expressive.

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

KR: My favorite hobby outside of art is practicing yoga and hiking. I find immense joy in moving my body through these activities, and I also draw inspiration from them for my art. The fluidity and mindfulness of yoga, as well as the exploration of nature during hikes, often influence how I approach movement and expression on the canvas.

To learn more about Kim’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Rodríguez received her MFA from SCAD. Her work has been exhibited in museums including The National Museum of Women in the Arts, The High Museum, and the Telfair Museum, and through programs including Ortega y Gasset Projects and residence programs at Wassaic Project, Vermont Studio Center, and MASS MoCA. She is a recipient of the Fulton County Arts and Culture Artist Grant and Forward Arts Foundation Edge Award.

Read our interview with Lucha below!

Proximity Spectacle, solo exhibition at Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA, 2023

PP: What motivates you to make art?

LR: Pure curiosity towards our perception process. I am fascinated and inspired by the way we can perceive so much around us if we intentionally focus on something and at the same time we have so many preconceived notions of what we think is going on, or how things are, that we can ignore what’s going on in front of us. Our perception and state of mind, how much information we gather and process, and how we relate to all of it are so intriguing to me. There’s always so much more to be experienced if we continue to question how we do, see, and perceive things. Even a single sheet of paper can surprise us and become an object for contemplation, calm, curiosity, and wonder.

Es Imaginario Pero Refiere a lo Real III, manipulated giclée print on metallic paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2023

(Detail) Es Imaginario Pero Refiere a lo Real III, manipulated giclée print on metallic paper, 16 x 12 inches, 2023

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

LR: I come into the studio, open all the blinds, and let the natural light wash over the room. I get my coffee and water ready. I do self-hypnosis and then write any thoughts, memories, sensations, colors, or anything that came up during my hypnosis. Then I sit down in front of my drafting table by the window and follow whatever impulse or inspiration I have without judging it. I put that aside and start choosing and prepping paper and finding the best spot in the studio with natural light to start cutting. I take breaks and move to the other side of the studio to do office work, send out emails, get ready to ship, and deliver finished works and whatever needs to be photographed, photoshopped, or edited. Then I go back to the drafting table cut a little more and continue the work I was doing in the morning. I only work during the day because I need to study the natural light and how it behaves on the surface of the paper. I have the same routine every day unless I have a special project, art fair, or exhibition installation. Being in my studio makes me want to create more and improve my practice. I appreciate every minute I spend there, it’s a very special place for me, and I hope it will continue to be for a very long time to come.

PP: Is community something you value in your practice? Why or why not?

LR: Everything exists within a context so community is integral to the work. You are already part of something when you start working, you already have some sort of privilege, and you belong to a certain group and with that awareness and from that point of view you share your experiences with others. Just the language we use or choose to express ourselves gives out a social context from which the work is being created. Then when you start sharing that point of view over and over it can spark conversations that create new communities organically. That’s the whole point of it. From your community, you create other communities and those keep growing, and expanding but you cannot forget the nucleus where the whole thing started because that’s the essence of it all. You do need people around to talk things out and to develop and test out ideas. You have to consume lots of creative expressions and digest conversations to figure out what’s going on around you. Nowadays you can do a lot of it virtually, no problem. Just communicate as honestly as possible. Community is the best part of being an artist.

Studio view

Work in progress

PP: What are ways you support other artists? 


LR: I’m a CHT, Certified Hypnotherapist, and EFT practitioner registered with the International Association of Counselors and Therapists. I offer my services to other creatives as a way to support them. I understand the creative process can be quite emotionally demanding and also stressful for the body and mind of an artist. I set aside at least a couple of hypno-sessions a month specifically for those in the creative field. It started with a few artist friends and then word of mouth. The artist attending the last session always sends out another person they think might benefit from one of the sessions offered the next month. It is completely confidential and it brings me joy to be able to introduce them to perhaps new resources for managing the stress associated with the creative lifestyle.

PP: Who is a current muse for your practice? Could be anyone fictional or real, dead or alive!

LR: Conceptually, Michael Watson a certified Hypnotherapist and Neurolinguistic Programming Master trainer. I find his theories of Evolutionary Hypnosis fascinating. Aesthetically, Matraka drag queen. Matraka incorporates cultural references and childhood memories into exquisite nostalgic performances that deeply resonate with me.

To learn more about Lucha’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Lynne below!

Installation view of Exploration II, Circling the Sun, Exploration I, and Rising, 2021

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

LR: I start my time in the studio with a clean and tidy space- this helps me to allow for any project to come to life that day. I may be starting a new artwork from a sketch, continuing to build up details of works in progress or sometimes just playing around with the materials I have on hand for fun. This playful discovery process often allows new ideas to form. I listen to music while creating and will sporadically dance and move along to the rhythm while working on a project. Often inspiration comes from this physical expression, along with moments of quiet reflection.

In all her Glory, Dyed silk and velvet tufted with batting on foam core, 14 x 25 inches, 2023

Exploration I, Watercolor, gouache, dye and pigment on velvet, 26 x 38 inches, 2021

PP: What motivates you to make art?

LR: My motivation to create comes from a place of self expression and self preservation. When I allow myself to be free, to play and roam through my imagination it not only feeds my art with new ideas, but gives me a grounding sense of peace and joy within my daily life. Once finished, the artworks themselves embolden me to share their joy with others. That’s been an incredibly fulfilling gift, to see the work making an impact on others, even if only for a moment.

PP: What role do you think artists have in society today? What role should they have?

LR: In today's visually-oriented society, artists play a vital role in expressing new ideas and cultural shifts through imagery, acting as messengers with global reach, helped by technology. Their work can be a powerful tool for social, political, and environmental impact that deserves recognition and support. Yet most artists I know have to juggle full and part time work with their practice and sharing their creations - limiting their time to create. My hope is for all artists to connect with their audiences, share their message and be acknowledged and rewarded for their unique gifts to society, and hopefully sustain themselves through their talents alone.

Studio view of recent work from 2023 & 2024

PP: What would a dream project look like for you as an artist? 

LR: I would love to make large scale immersive public art sculptures that live in green spaces. These sculptures will allow you to journey through, gather in and foster a connection to nature. My hope is that these spaces can be enjoyed by individuals and communities, to find solace in themselves and in their natural environment, to remember everything is connected.

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

LR: I love spending time in nature, especially by the sea. Whether I’m carving moments of peace in Prospect Park or laying on the sand at Jacob Riis beach, nature has and will always be my biggest inspiration and strongest place of refuge and rejuvenation.

To learn more about Lynne’s work, see her Instagram and Website

Read our interview with Alexis below!

Alexis with her piece Sheetmask: Body Masks 1, acrylic and graphite on paper, 52 x 65 inches, 2023

PP: Walk us through a typical day in your studio or generally through your process to make new work.

AN: My process is iterative, with performance, photography, and drawing taking place before I start to paint. There’s a back-and-forth between home and studio, and at times home becomes studio. In my recent work, the Sheetmask series, I apply sheetmasks to as many body parts as I can: face, boobs, hands, feet, butt. I ask my partner or mom to photograph me in incredibly raw moments, including while giving myself IVF injections. I squeeze a roll of belly fat (as I learned to do through instructional videos), inject the needle all the way in, and push in the medicine. It’s painful, and the tension in the photos is palpable. I’ve realized that I can’t wear hand masks while doing that! 

I tape paper up on the wall in my bedroom and project part of the image onto the paper, and I use pencil to draw this portion. I take that down, tape up another paper, and shift the projector slightly to hit another part of the body, knowing that I might be repeating some parts. I don’t know the final composition until I put all of the papers together. Some turn out better than others but I like leaving that part uncontrolled.

I pack up the drawings and schlep them to the studio. I have a ritual that feels really calming. Each day when I get to the studio, I take out my sketchbook and write the date and my goals for the day (like, “do the hair,” or “fix that weird hand”). This helps me focus and not feel overwhelmed by the painting. Going back through the sketchbook also reminds me of previous ideas and also reminds me of what I’ve accomplished.

Then, I paint!

Blue Sheetmask 2, acrylic and graphite on paper, 22 x 30 inches, 2020

Yellow Sheetmask 3, acrylic and graphite on paper, 22 x 30 inches, 2020

PP: What motivates you to make art?

AN: It would be easier to stop making art, to just put that part of me aside, but I’m not able to. I believe there is a very strong painter inside of me. I’m a really stubborn person, and I’ll push to get to that painter and to those paintings. 

Politics is also motivating. Currently, the Alabama IVF ruling has made my paintings feel both prescient and pressing. Sharing these pieces feels very vulnerable, and also very necessary. This ruling is pushing me to get to work on new pieces in this series. 

PP: What is one goal you are aiming to achieve this year for your art practice?

AN: By the end of 2024, I’d like to have finished 10 multi-paneled Sheetmask paintings. I want to be ready with a full body of work for whatever opportunities (group shows, solo show, etc) come my way. 

Work in progress studio view; Sheetmask: IVF 2, acrylic and graphite on paper, 30 x 44 inches, 2024

PP: Who or what has had the biggest impact on your creative practice? 

AN: My mom Joan Fitzsimmons (@joanfitzsimmonsphotography) is a photographer and my dad Alan Neider (@aneider52) is a painter, so I’ve been surrounded by art my whole life. We always lived in live/work spaces with studios and darkrooms. When I was young I made photograms with my mom and Jackson Pollock-esque paintings with my dad. Galleries and museums were a big part of my childhood too. We still meet for openings and shows today. My parents give me lots of (solicited) critiques of my work, suggest artists to look at, and talk about their own processes and work. 

PP: Favorite hobby outside of art?

AN: I like to bake elaborate cakes for friends’ birthdays and celebrations. There is a similarity between baking and painting in the materiality, the mess, and the creation of something new and hopefully desirable. For my Cakes series, I’d often photograph these cakes as muses for my paintings, drawings, and prints. 

To learn more about Alexis’s work, see her Instagram and Website