Anne Spalter, a pioneering visual artist in both traditional and digital media, presents immersive, symbolic landscapes in the upcoming Spirit World exhibition. Her work blends surrealism, science fiction, and archetypal imagery to explore the boundaries between the natural and the cosmic. Through her series Surrealist Landscapes and Future Landscapes, Spalter merges dreamlike geometry, luminous color, and algorithmic processes to create worlds where inner and outer realities converge. Featured internationally in major collections and publications, her practice invites viewers to encounter transformation, intuition, and the mythic dimensions of contemporary experience.

Emily Ezell, born in Monroe, Louisiana, creates apocalyptic and surrealist paintings that blend neon, mutated creatures, and corpse-like nymphs with historical references to the Old Masters. Featured in the upcoming Spirit World exhibition, her work explores the uncanny, pop surrealism, and Southern Gothic themes, creating images that are simultaneously provocative, grotesque, and mesmerizing. As an educator and professional artist, Ezell continues to push the boundaries of narrative, technique, and the surreal, inviting viewers into worlds that challenge perceptions of beauty, desire, and decay.

Sophia Conroy Iglesias, a British-Spanish artist, creates intimate and psychologically charged works in oil, graphite, and hand-bound books. Featured in the upcoming Spirit World exhibition, her art blends historical figuration with contemporary perspectives, exploring mythology, touch, memory, and the feminine experience. Each canvas is paired with a handwritten poem, extending her visual narratives into an interior world where presence, absence, and the spectral intertwine. Her work invites viewers to encounter bodies, gestures, and spaces that hover between reality and the unseen.

Amalia Romp, a New York native now based in Los Angeles, is a multidisciplinary artist and set designer whose work spans papier-mâché sculpture, avant-garde tableaux portraits, and immersive storytelling. Featured in The Spirit World exhibition, her art draws on surrealism, expressionism, circus motifs, and global cultures, creating fantastical worlds that invite viewers into her imaginative process. From brainstorming to building, photographing, and editing, Amalia handles every stage of creation herself, crafting deeply personal and visually striking works.

Somerset-based artist Estelle delves into the human psyche and the enigmatic depths of the subconscious through painting, illustration, digital art, and installations. Her work, featured in the upcoming Spirit World exhibition, fuses darkness and surrealism, from ethereal landscapes shrouded in mist to haunting figures that seem to gaze into the soul. Each piece invites viewers to explore their innermost fears and desires while experiencing a hauntingly beautiful vision of reality intertwined with the fantastical.

Jessica Burke, who goes by J.B., is an award-winning artist and Associate Professor of Art based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her labor-intensive colored-pencil drawings use magical realism to explore memory, personal narratives, and the darker sides of human nature. JB’s work has been exhibited internationally, published in top art journals, and is held in private, public, and corporate collections. In this feature, learn more about her approach, inspirations, and the meticulous process behind her vibrant, thought-provoking art.

Explore the haunting, meticulous world of artist Kuang Chu, whose Red Balloon digital drawing series is included in “The Spirit World” exhibition. His work blends European engraving traditions with contemporary meditations on solitude, resilience, and the mystical. In this feature, learn more about the artist’s influences, symbolism, and the powerful imagery behind his signature red balloon.

Carolyn Hampton, artist, psychic medium, and entertainment attorney from Los Angeles, channels her spiritual gifts into deeply personal fine art. Her “Childhood Dreams & Memories” series, created in collaboration with her daughter, draws on visions, memories, and spirit encounters to explore trauma, intimacy, and symbolic meaning. Carolyn’s work has been exhibited worldwide, published in books, magazines, and album covers, and continues to expand into painting and her “Constructed Fairytales” photo series inspired by myth and folklore.

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.