Meet the 42 artists chosen by guest curator Sonia Borrell for Create! Magazine's 2026 International Women's Edition, one of our most competitive open calls to date.

Dallas-based artist Anese Cho on her Lighthouse series, why light is her primary material, and how childhood shaped a practice built around refuge and safety.

Artist and curator Jessica Libor shares how she navigated art school pressure, developed her signature fairy tale aesthetic, and built a creative career on her own terms. A must-listen for artists looking to find their unique voice and stay true to their vision.

Curator and collector Sonia Borrell joins the Create! Podcast to discuss the 2026 art market shift, her new platform StudiotoGallery, and the practical steps artists can take right now to build a lasting, collector-backed career on their own terms.

In her bold digital compositions, Kuan-Hsuan Lu transforms flowers, hands, and glass containers into a visual language about growth, protection, and the courage to break through. Now based in New York after moving from Taiwan, Lu reflects on identity, distance, and the emotional terrain of building a life between cultures. Through saturated color, strong composition, and symbolic storytelling, she creates space for viewers to see their own resilience mirrored back to them. In this thoughtful conversation, Lu shares how fragility and strength coexist in her work and why the digital medium remains essential to her evolving practice.

From her Los Angeles studio, Anelia Torres creates work that bridges sculpture, digital design, jewelry, and surface pattern. Inspired by Southern California’s beaches, semi-desert terrain, art deco landmarks, and mid-century architecture, she blends real places with memory and imagination to craft pieces that feel both modern and emotionally resonant. In this conversation, Torres reflects on growing up in a family of artists, embracing Adobe Illustrator as a sculptural tool, and her commitment to creating art that honors light, beauty, and possibility.

For multidisciplinary artist Leisa Rich, creativity begins with touch. From early childhood hospital stays to immersive, interactive installations, her practice bridges fiber art, recycled materials, 3D printing, laser engraving, and AI. Guided by curiosity and a fearless embrace of experimentation, Rich creates vibrant, pseudo-Utopian environments that honor animals, celebrate tactility, and invite viewers into moments of wonder. In this candid conversation, she reflects on creative freedom, aging boldly, and the courage to resist being placed in a box.

In her luminous paintings of smoke, shifting light, and dense Pacific Northwest forests, Kendra Larson invites viewers into a space where landscape becomes both emotional mirror and living system. Based in Portland, Oregon, Larson reflects on awe, folklore, environmental consciousness, and the thin boundary between the visible and invisible. In this thoughtful conversation, she shares how residencies, teaching, and gallery leadership inform a practice grounded in presence, wonder, and the quiet intelligence of place.

For Aunia Kahn, art began as a lifeline. What started as a deeply personal act of survival has grown into a vibrant, multidisciplinary practice grounded in symbolism, sanctuary, and transformation. In this intimate conversation, Kahn reflects on navigating chronic illness, rediscovering traditional media after years of digital work, and finding joy alongside resilience in a career spanning more than two decades.

Discover the groundbreaking science proving that art is essential medicine, not a luxury. In this episode, Kat sits down with Professor Daisy Fancourt to discuss her new book, Art Cure, and research showing how creative engagement acts as the "Fifth Pillar of Health". Learn how making art activates the brain’s reward centers, reduces cortisol, and can even influence gene expression in your DNA. Whether you are a professional artist or a collector, this conversation provides the "validation ammunition" you need to embrace your creative life force for better mental and physical longevity.

Join host Kat (Ekaterina Popova) on The Create! Podcast as she chats with painter Emi Avora about the evolution of her color-driven practice across Greece, London, and Singapore. Discover how Emi balances motherhood with a dedicated studio life, her recent recognition as the winner of the Women in Art Prize, and how relocation can radically reshape an artist’s visual language. This episode offers a thoughtful look at building a sustainable practice and trusting the slow unfolding of your creative work.

Step inside "The Secret Show" at The Jane Gallery in Philadelphia. Curated by Era Contemporary, this Neo-Rococo exhibition features over 30 artists exploring beauty, ornament, and intimacy as a form of resistance against the winter grey.

What happens when you let your subconscious lead the way? Internationally acclaimed artist August Vilella shares how he went from self-taught painter to Art Basel, his accidental five year residence in Japan, and why showing up is the most important career move you can make.

Abstract artist Sharone Halevy shares how she built a thriving art career through commission work and direct sales—no gallery required. Learn about pricing strategies, building confidence, and finding your collectors.

Feeling the tension between ambition and exhaustion? Learn how to protect your creative energy, apply Reality Transurfing principles, and build a sustainable art practice that lasts.