Angel Wagner’s deeply personal oil paintings explore themes of healing, transformation, and feminine strength through a surreal and symbolic visual language. Informed by her 16 years as a licensed counselor, her work offers visual affirmations that challenge outdated portrayals of women and celebrate their agency.

Dallas-based painter Michael Reeder is known for his bold use of color, layered symbolism, and a process-driven approach that balances humor, identity, and existential reflection. With roots in graffiti, graphic design, and fine art, Reeder’s work invites viewers into a world where meaning is fluid and the unexpected is essential. In this interview, he reflects on creative chaos, chasing inspiration, and staying true to the work while navigating the business of art.

West Virginia–based artist Heather Rios creates richly layered mixed media works that celebrate handmade traditions and emotional memory. Using embroidery passed down from her grandmother, paint piped like frosting, and antique plates, Rios explores the value of joy, nostalgia, and what it means to be human in an age of automation.

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Cope2 has been a driving force in graffiti and street art for over four decades. From tagging subway cars in the 1970s to exhibiting abstract expressionist canvases in galleries worldwide, his signature bubble letters and wild style continue to shape contemporary visual culture.

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.

Featured in Create! Magazine Issue 51, German artist Julia Obermaier blends memory and materiality in her sculptural series “Ratzefummel.” By meticulously carving familiar erasers and pencils from gemstones, she invites viewers to reflect on the sensory nostalgia of childhood while reconsidering the value and function of everyday objects.

In Create! Magazine Issue 51, multidisciplinary artist Suzanna Scott presents sculptural works that seduce and challenge. Using discarded objects and skin-like textures, Scott’s rage-stitched multiples question how we assign value to bodies and rights in a politically polarized world.

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.

Nathaniel J Moody’s paintings blend memory, landscape, and emotional resonance into powerful visual narratives. Working in oil and watercolor, Moody captures the shifting nature of identity, belonging, and connection to land. His work, included in Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing exhibition, invites viewers to reflect on personal and collective journeys toward home.

Yemaya Diethelm’s multidisciplinary practice weaves together memory, the human body, and nature, with a focus on the ecologies of the Pacific Northwest. Her latest works, featured in the "Land and Longing" virtual exhibition, reflect on the fragility and resilience of our environment through powerful oil paintings. Discover how Diethelm uses seaweed as a symbol of ecological strength and addresses themes of climate grief in her compelling visual narratives.

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.

Catherine LaPointe-Vollmer brings a deep reverence for nature to her soft pastel landscapes, highlighting the subtle patterns of light and shadow often overlooked in everyday scenes. Her impressionistic works, featured in the Land and Longing virtual exhibition, are rooted in the forests, rivers, and seasonal shifts of her native North Country. Through plein air sketches and intuitive composition, LaPointe-Vollmer reveals how the ordinary becomes extraordinary when viewed in just the right light.

Oakland-based painter Tara Esperanza brings the intricate beauty of succulents to life through her bold, representational oil paintings. Featured in Create! Magazine’s Land and Longing virtual exhibition, Esperanza’s work offers a vibrant reflection on nature, community, and resilience—seen through the imaginative lens of both artist and observer.

In her latest work featured in the "Land and Longing" virtual exhibition, Kimberlea Bass weaves together themes of nostalgia, family, and memory. Using a combination of photography, found objects, and stitching, Bass transforms discarded materials into poignant pieces that evoke a deep sense of reflection. Read on to discover how her unique approach reimagines the fragments of personal histories and explores the emotional weight of memory.