Mason Owens’ paintings capture the subtle, transitory nature of everyday life, focusing on the intimate moments shared with friends and loved ones. His work, imbued with nostalgia, humor, and childlike curiosity, transports viewers into landscapes where ordinary scenes are transformed by the warmth of memory. Owens’ practice—now part of the "Land and Longing" virtual exhibition—combines egg tempera with a playful, experimental approach, translating the magic of these fleeting experiences into timeless pieces.

Jena Thomas’s thought-provoking work bridges the gap between human nature and the natural world. In the Land and Longing virtual exhibition, Thomas delves into how humanity idealizes nature and creates artificial environments, capturing the transient collision between the two. Through emotive abstractions and surreal landscapes, her work challenges us to reconsider how we relate to both the world around us and the marks we leave upon it. Discover more about her unique approach and thematic explorations in this featured artist profile.

Yuan Butler’s work embodies the intersection of cultural heritage and personal exploration, where abstraction meets figuration to evoke the power of mythology and nature. Featured in the Land and Longing virtual exhibition, Butler’s art delves into the mysteries of water and female forms, creating an immersive dialogue that invites viewers to reflect on the fluid myths of time and space. Her paintings offer a glimpse into her internal landscape, where intuition, nature, and identity converge in an ever-evolving, meditative practice.

In her feature for Land and Longing, Rainey Straus shares The Old Growth Project, a multidisciplinary body of work that merges technology, ecology, and ritual. Through LiDAR scans of California’s redwoods and embodied observation, Straus paints the presence of trees beyond human-centered narratives, inviting us to consider new ways of relating to the natural world. Her work unearths beauty and urgency in the forest’s voice, resonating with themes of loss, reciprocity, and reverence.

Sharon Wensel’s art invites us into moments of stillness, healing, and reflection through vibrant scenes inspired by the natural world. Following a return to painting later in life, her work now appears in Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing exhibition, celebrating the deep emotional resonance found in nature’s beauty.

Elisha Enfield’s evocative paintings draw from the rich history of human rituals, blending themes of fire, funerary rites, and remembrance. In her works, she examines how we navigate grief, celebrate life, and honor those who are no longer with us. Featured in the Land and Longing virtual exhibition, Enfield’s paintings invite viewers to reflect on the interplay of memory and myth in the human experience.

Brooklyn-born artist Nora Wiley-Schwartz blends personal memories with artistic exploration, focusing on nostalgia and domesticity in her paintings. With works that evoke a sense of quiet reflection, Wiley-Schwartz invites viewers to appreciate the beauty in everyday life. Featured in the "Land and Longing" exhibition, her latest work draws from landscapes tied to her childhood and artistic retreats, bridging the gap between urban life and natural environments.

Painter Gillian Wainwright shares insight into her latest body of work, created over four years within the ever-changing microcosm of her backyard. Influenced by light, season, and her love for working from life, Wainwright's paintings have shifted from realism to gestural abstraction. Now on view as part of the Land and Longing exhibition, her work speaks to the intimate connection between observation, memory, and place.

Kendra Dandy’s vibrant artwork mixes humor and deep emotion, using the cheetah as a personal symbol of her feelings and experiences. Her playful, mood-driven creations challenge the conventions of self-expression, inviting viewers to connect with their own emotions. Featured in collaborations with major brands like Marc Jacobs and Vans, Kendra’s unique style blends vintage design, nature, and post-impressionist art, creating a dynamic conversation in every piece.

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.

Lauren E. Peters’ work delves into the performance and construction of identity through the lens of self-portraiture. Drawing from both historical and personal influences, her art explores gender, the notion of “costumes” as armor, and the complex navigation of self-definition. In this feature, we explore how Peters combines vibrant colors and rich symbolism to challenge traditional narratives and invite a new visual language that exists beyond societal binaries. Explore her journey and upcoming work in the issue 51 of Create! Magazine.

In her multifaceted works, Moyan Wang combines ceramics, painting, and sculpture to create powerful metaphors for unspoken stories tied to China's collective memory and the experience of diaspora. As an MFA student at UNC-Chapel Hill, Wang explores the intersections of personal and societal trauma, evoking a deep sense of history through rich, culturally significant materials. Her work speaks to themes of gender, immigration, surveillance, and the weight of silence, as she creates a layered narrative of resistance and resilience.

Jennifer Cronin’s work reveals a unique perspective on the mundane, finding magic in the overlooked corners of everyday life. Her latest collection, supported by prestigious grants from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and Chicago DCASE, invites viewers to discover the extraordinary in ordinary moments. Delve into her artistic journey and how her paintings transform the mundane into something magical.

Chicago-based painter Sally Blair creates large-scale oil paintings that explore the intersection of the micro and macro. Her intricate, brightly colored compositions are rooted in themes of geometry, science, and the sublime. With a background shaped by the landscapes of New Mexico and West Texas, Blair brings a unique perspective to contemporary abstraction, evoking the grandeur of unseen worlds.

Chester-based fine artist Maria Natalie brings fresh energy to classical portraiture through her Unfinished Finished series—vivid oil paintings that capture women in bold, incomplete states. Balancing traditional techniques with striking contemporary color palettes, her work draws attention to both subject and process, offering a modern take on timeless composition.

Aya Ogasawara, a Tokyo-born painter now based in New York, creates strikingly surreal compositions that blend Northern Renaissance influence with a minimalist Japanese aesthetic. In her series Memory and Mirage, Ogasawara explores themes of femininity, growth, and the sublime, crafting dreamlike tableaus that reinterpret religious iconography through the lens of adolescence and personal myth.

Betsy Walton is a Portland-based painter and illustrator whose layered, luminous compositions investigate the spiritual dimensions of life through color, form, and intuition. Influenced by nature, science, and personal growth, Walton's practice draws viewers into imagined spaces where wonder, balance, and inner dialogue take shape. In this feature, we explore the ideas behind her creative process and her ever-evolving visual language.

In the "Land and Longing" exhibition, Taylor Pierce’s landscapes explore not just the beauty of the desert but the stories it holds within. Through her work, she brings forward the resilience and history of the land, asking what it has witnessed across time. With each painting, Pierce invites viewers to consider their own connection to nature and the powerful link between the past and present.

Guy Nelson’s acrylic paintings delve into the intricate relationships between humans and the environment, focusing on themes of self-preservation, community, and the beauty of natural spaces. In his work for the "Land and Longing" exhibition, Nelson captures the atmospheric glow and mystery of forests and outdoor settings, inviting viewers to slow down and engage with the layers of meaning within each piece.

In the Land and Longing exhibition, New York-based artist Cary Hulbert presents fantastical worlds where flora and fauna blur, spirit animals roam, and imagination takes root. Her layered paintings—rich with color, transparency, and meaning—invite viewers to linger and uncover the subtle, shape-shifting beauty that dwells within her dreamlike terrains.