Based in Snohomish, Washington, Nikki Gardner creates evocative oil paintings that draw inspiration from the Dutch Masters while examining universal themes of mortality, beauty, and human connection. Through dramatic light, symbolism, and carefully arranged still lifes, her work invites viewers into moments of quiet reflection.

New Zealand artist Emma Bass creates luminous floral photographs that bridge fine art, nature, and wellbeing. Influenced by the Dutch Golden Age still-life tradition and informed by her background in nursing, her work invites viewers to pause, reflect, and experience beauty as a meaningful form of care. Featured in Create! Magazine's 10th Anniversary Book, Bass shares how her practice has evolved through international collaborations, healthcare installations, and an ongoing exploration of art's restorative potential.

Samir Rakhmanov paints between realism and abstraction, not as opposing languages but as overlapping conditions of the same surface. Whether working from a landscape, still life, or figure, his goal is always the same: to construct an image that feels inevitable rather than merely descriptive.

Jenny Carrillo’s ongoing series, Reflections, invites viewers into a journey of healing and self-discovery. Through still life photography, traditional in-camera methods, and carefully crafted compositions, she captures the rawness of trauma, the beauty of transformation, and the quiet power of stillness. Each limited edition print serves as both art and reflection, connecting deeply to personal and universal experiences of resilience.

Irina Forrester is a Russian-born British artist whose work spans still lifes, landscapes, and portraits. Featured in AQ Volume VI, she brings together oils and mixed media techniques, capturing life with sincerity while exploring new artistic possibilities through color, texture, and form.

Alicia Staley Johnson’s work blends classical still life influence with modern photographic storytelling. Featured in AQ Volume VI, her richly textured images celebrate the quiet wonder in ordinary moments—highlighting the interplay of light, florals, and heirlooms crafted in her Midwest studio.

Greer Wilkins’ evocative Still Life Series reflects her journey from Nashville to Maine, using detailed realism and emotional tension to explore themes of home, memory, and belonging. Her work invites viewers into intimate, often uneasy conversations about identity and connection through richly layered compositions.

Rosamund Lowrey is a UK-born, New Zealand-based painter whose richly symbolic still life works explore the intersection of history, culture, and ecology. In her interview, she shares insights into her focus on native bird species—especially the extinct Huia—and her process of storytelling through composition and form.

Inspired by global myths and personal dives, Jo Gamel’s still life paintings reimagine ocean relics as symbols of the feminine psyche—tempestuous, sacred, and enduring. Her practice blends traditional oil techniques with spiritual storytelling, inviting viewers into spaces of wonder, memory, and transformation.

Nashville-based artist Sharon Harms made the leap from award-winning graphic designer to professional painter in 2020. Drawing from decades of experience in visual communication, her work explores narrative and emotion through a refined yet intuitive painting style. With selections in international exhibitions and features in top art magazines, Harms continues to prove it’s never too late to pursue your passion.

Step into the imaginative world of Bella Wattles, a self-taught artist whose maximalist still life paintings transform everyday objects into playful, symbolic characters. Inspired by nostalgia, storytelling, and the drama of stage lighting, Wattles creates emotional vignettes that blur the line between the ordinary and the fantastical. Her compositions invite viewers to rediscover wonder in the unexpected.

Nick A. Erickson, a pop artist inspired by the aesthetics of retro Americana, invites viewers to indulge their senses with his vibrant, mouthwatering paintings of desserts. With a career spanning animation, illustration, and design, Erickson's artwork blends nostalgia and sweet realism, capturing the texture of cake, frosting, and cherries in a neon-colored palette. In this post, we delve into the artist's journey and creative process, offering a closer look at how his passion for visual storytelling and nostalgia comes to life on the canvas.

Mark Liam Smith’s vibrant paintings merge classical art traditions with contemporary visual culture, using color, symbolism, and narrative to explore themes of mortality, memory, and meaning. Through his distinctive approach to still life and vanitas painting, Smith reinterprets historical imagery through a modern lens.