Emma Mclaughlin, a contemporary painter based in Miami, transforms her weekly walks into a vibrant exploration of emotion, memory, and introspection. Her Neon Nature Trail series uses square canvases and dynamic color shifts to create modular, reflective landscapes that invite viewers to trace their own inner journeys.

Bay Area artist Ali Hall paints landscapes that feel remembered rather than observed. Working in acrylic, her atmospheric compositions draw from California’s coastline to explore emotional healing, inner reflection, and the way place shapes memory. Through softened forms, intuitive mark-making, and gentle color transitions, Hall invites viewers into intimate moments of stillness and connection.

Sandra Attales’ botanical and landscape paintings capture the beauty of place and memory. Drawing from her childhood in the Florida Keys, her work explores identity, narrative, and the enduring romance of the natural world.

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

Vancouver Island-based photographer Bri Vandyke presents her atmospheric, abstract seascapes in the Lightness of Being virtual exhibition. Using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), she translates the rhythm, light, and emotion of the coast into evocative imagery that invites quiet reflection. Vandyke’s work transforms landscapes into experiences, capturing both the seen and the felt in a meditative exploration of nature’s quiet power.

With roots in children's book illustration and a passion for vibrant, observational painting, Wendy captures the quiet magic of northern New Jersey's scenery in her textured, light-filled works. Her dynamic compositions—featuring reflections, shadows, and glowing color—offer a sense of peace and presence that resonates with the theme of Create! Magazine's Lightness of Being virtual exhibition.

Canadian artist Katie Rodgers creates dynamic acrylic paintings that blend abstract and representational styles. Featured in AQ Volume VI, her work captures the mood and memory of landscapes through bold colour, expressive texture, and imaginative interpretations of place.

Los Angeles-based painter Holly Boruck shares her Landscape Series in AQ Volume VI, where abstraction, rhythm, and color create dreamy, introspective worlds. Through her paintings, Boruck invites viewers into imagined environments that reflect on the human psyche, balance, and beauty found in imperfection.

Chloe Saron’s ethereal oil paintings use abstraction and blurred forms to evoke nostalgia and quiet introspection. Drawing from memories and emotion rather than reference images, her work reflects a bold rebellion against realism and offers a peaceful antidote to the pace of modern life.

Boise-based artist Pamela Trail brings a graphic designer’s eye to her vivid acrylic and pencil works that blur abstraction and realism. In this AQ Volume VI feature, she reflects on reconnecting with creativity in midlife and channeling memory, imagination, and emotion into expressive landscapes that invite stillness and wonder.

Born in Belgium, raised in Canada, and now based in Australia, Isabelle Devos paints the threshold between wilderness and human habitation. Her atmospheric landscapes, shaped by exploration and sensitivity to light, invite viewers to pause and reconnect with a sense of wonder in the ordinary.

Jennifer L Mohr (she/her) is an artist investigating introspection, belonging, and nature in her acrylic paintings. Pushing beyond personal and found photographic reference, Jennifer creates imagined meadow scenes as a response to memory and feeling. Her paintings explore themes of self-reflection and introspection through grounding and intimate images of her beloved Prairie landscape. Jennifer holds a B.F.A. in painting from the University of Saskatchewan and her paintings have been acquired by collectors across Canada, the United States, and beyond.

She lives and works in Airdrie, Alberta.

Create! Magazine is proud to feature artist Sarah Burns in the “Land and Longing” virtual exhibition. Based in Southern Oregon, Burns captures the vibrant landscapes of her home region using traditional European painting techniques. Deeply inspired by the natural world and historical art practices, her plein air paintings not only preserve the beauty of the environment but also foster a deeper connection to place, history, and community.

In the "Land and Longing" exhibition, Isabel Bonilla presents a thought-provoking collection that repurposes fast-fashion denim into tactile, ocean-inspired landscapes. Through her upcycled art, Bonilla addresses the environmental costs of clothing production and the urgent need for sustainability. By transforming discarded material into powerful visual statements, her work invites viewers to reflect on our relationship with nature and the impact of our consumer choices.

In Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing exhibition, British artist Daniel Freaker shares richly layered paintings that balance bright, beautiful color with deeper reflections on the human condition. Freaker's work captures the tension between structure and chaos, inviting viewers into dynamic narratives of searching, connection, and meaning.

Through layered textiles, collage, and photography, artist Chloe Wilwerding reflects on the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. Her work, which reassembles fragments of digital and environmental imagery into vibrant new wholes, is featured in Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing exhibition. Wilwerding’s art invites viewers to reconsider how we perceive and impact the landscapes we inhabit.

Laura Barr’s richly colored paintings capture fleeting, transcendent moments where light, color, and form transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. Through her Here and There series and other works, Barr explores impermanence, water conservation, and meditative beauty. Featured in Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing virtual exhibition, her art invites viewers to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the quiet wonder of the natural world.

Ontario-based artist Phil Irish brings together painting, collage, and environmental insight in his striking Niche Species series. Created during an Arctic Circle Residency and now featured in the Land and Longing exhibition, his work explores the beauty and fragility of the natural world through emotionally resonant animal imagery and stark Arctic landscapes. Each piece is a meditation on climate change, interconnection, and what it means to care for our planet in a time of crisis.

Cheryl Hochberg’s artwork invites viewers to reflect on the deep connection between humans and nature. Through her ongoing projects in places like Wyoming, South China, Finland, and Tucson, Cheryl captures the beauty, struggle, and resilience of the landscapes she visits. Her work, currently featured in the Land and Longing virtual exhibition, embodies a unique exploration of the impact of human industry and nature’s ability to heal and adapt. Learn more about her process and the stories that shape her projects.

In her emotionally rich abstract landscapes, Denver artist Kathy Knaus channels the tension and harmony of the natural world through expressive color and texture. Her work, featured in Create! Magazine’s virtual exhibition Land and Longing, reflects on the healing parallels between people and the earth. Drawing from her background in Five Element Acupuncture and a lifelong connection to nature, Knaus creates vivid, intuitive compositions that ask us to slow down, look closer, and honor the beauty in resilience.