Jiaqi (Chi) Pan creates portraits that examine how identity is shaped by social dynamics, gender, race, and class. Her work balances intimacy and distance, turning collaboration with strangers into a reflective study of human interaction and perception.

Amelia Carley transforms found materials into vivid dioramas that become the foundation for her surreal landscapes. Her work examines ecological anxiety, memory, and the overlap of the natural and artificial, inviting viewers to consider humanity’s impact on the environment through imaginative, layered compositions

In Issue 53 of Create! Magazine, Brooklyn-based artist Caroline Otis Heffron shares her transhistorical approach to painting, where women from art history meet contemporary street imagery. Through magical vignettes and saturated colors, her work examines dualities of belonging and isolation, vulnerability and strength, offering a theatrical yet intimate exploration of memory, myth, and feminine identity.

Lucine Kaplan transforms nylon pantyhose into evocative 2D fiber art, tracing the history of hosiery through a feminist lens. Her series Ripping the Seams combines historical narratives, contemporary commentary, and poetic context, revealing how women navigated innovation, labor, and visibility in the 20th century.

Taylor Keister creates layered assemblage paintings that explore nostalgia, femininity, and the tension between outward appearances and inner reality. Her work merges saturated color, decorative motifs, and altar-like structures to confront suburban rituals, childhood experiences, and the emotional cost of perfection.

Paige DeVries turns everyday walks through her New Orleans neighborhood into vibrant paintings that highlight the relationship between humans and their environment. Her work observes how choices shape landscapes, blending humor, quiet beauty, and reflection on suburban life

Jada + David Parrish are a Richmond-based artist duo whose mixed media practice merges painting, sculpture, motion, and photography into dreamlike illusions. Known for their 100 Set Project—where they built and photographed 100 sets from repurposed materials in a single year—their work explores perspective, uncertainty, and the human condition.

Cindy Phenix creates dense, collage-like paintings and installations where humans, animals, and natural elements intertwine in vivid, layered compositions. Her work examines ecological crises, societal tensions, and the delicate balance between humanity and the natural world, offering viewers a glimpse into a poetic, interconnected universe

Teresa Ducamin’s illustrations balance geometric precision with soft, organic forms, inviting viewers to pause and notice the subtleties of daily life. Her series L'Hiver – Loin du Froid transforms personal experiences of winter into universal reflections on stillness, observation, and mindfulness

Meet Sophia, the creative force behind Mrs. H, whose paintings and illustrations blend whimsy, storytelling, and quiet rebellion. From her South African farm roots to Dubai’s vibrant inspiration, her work evokes emotion through recurring figures, text, and symbolic motifs. Explore her series There Should Be Room for Us Too and witness art that celebrates freedom, choice, and reflection.

New York City twin duo Guess Who blends individuality and collaboration in narrative-driven illustration and graphic design. Their work examines human relationships, emotional nuance, and heterotopian spaces, inviting reflection on connection, curiosity, and imagined worlds.

Lou Haney’s work transports viewers into imagined domestic interiors where charm meets excess, and memory intertwines with fantasy. Using layered oil, acrylic, and fiber art, her paintings explore nostalgia, femininity, and the tension between reality and escape. Inspired by Pattern & Decoration and Pop Art, Haney transforms familiar spaces into surreal compositions filled with quiet traces of human presence.

Fern Apfel transforms letters, stamps, and keepsakes into richly layered paintings that blur the line between text and abstraction. Her work evokes nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time, inviting viewers to reflect on personal and collective histories. Explore her contemplative practice in Issue 53 of Create! Magazine.

Lilian Day Thorpe’s photomontage work blends film photography with digital collage to create serene, textural landscapes that hover between memory and imagination. Her compositions prioritize mood over realism, offering a pause from the everyday and a space to reflect on beauty, quiet, and stillness.

Corinne Ann Bowen’s analog photography transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. Through shadow, light, and subtle gestures, her work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and honor the small, sacred moments often overlooked in daily life

Xi Zhang’s paintings blend Eastern philosophy with Western expressionist traditions, creating emotionally charged compositions that examine memory, empathy, and the immigrant experience. From expansive dreamlike landscapes to intimate portraits, his work invites viewers into spaces of psychological tension and reflection.

Brittney Denham Whisonant transforms personal and collective experiences of motherhood into visually rich, tactile works. Through quilts, cyanotypes, and natural dyes, her practice explores identity, domestic labor, and maternal material, creating a dialogue between tradition and contemporary artistic expression.

Christina Lucia Giuffrida’s paintings invite viewers into a surreal, Queer-centered adventure, where vivid color, graphic figures, and layered environments challenge perception and celebrate irreverent women. Her work combines fantasy, humor, and material experimentation to explore identity, movement, and the unpredictable beauty of life.

Michael Hambouz, a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist, musician, and curator, creates work deeply informed by chromaesthesia and personal history. Drawing from music, memory, and his Palestinian-American heritage, Hambouz experiments across mediums—painting, printmaking, sculpture, and animation—to explore themes of loss, transformation, and resilience. His vibrant abstractions, often influenced by sound and architectural forms, invite viewers into layered reflections on identity and generational experience.

Andreea Alunei’s work transforms grief, humor, and imagination into intimate, layered paintings. Drawing on the birth of her daughter, the loss of her mother, and a deep interest in personal mythology, her surreal imagery—halos, unicorns, and whimsical children—invites viewers to reflect on life, death, and the delicate balance in between.