Becoming

Sieglinde Van Damme is a multi-disciplinary artist based in California, although she used to be an economist with European roots. As an award-winning artist, she participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions spanning the US, Europe, Russia, India, and Japan.

Her work focuses on the social management of identity following her own immigration experience from Europe to the US: “I had to re-imagine not who I was, but who I ‘could be’ on this side of the ocean.” This lead to an endless re-imagining of visual realities in her work as she embraces the identity of a person, subject matter, place, circumstance, a thing, as fluid and ever-evolving in time and space.

Her message in art, life, and beyond can be summed up in one sentence: always “re-imagine what else is possible.”

Sieglinde holds both an MS in Economics and a Master in Fine Arts. She has been published in various catalogs and media publications in the US/Europe. Award highlights: the Lorenzo il Magnifico Award in Italy; the Belle Foundation Grant for artistic merit and the Leigh Weimers Artist Award in Silicon Valley; a Grant from the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs’ Creative Industries Incentive Fund through the Center for Cultural Innovation; and 2021/2022 Certificates of Artistic Merit from the jury at the Luxembourg Art Prize.

Through abstract paintings (sometimes combined with photo-related digital productions), my work reflects on the deep layers of our individual past histories and the complex dynamics behind big life choices.

My mantra is to always “re-imagine what else is possible;” which translates into a constant process of defining and redefining visual realities. As a result my work often tumbles from one medium into another before finding a place of rest.

This concept is deeply rooted in my immigration experience from Europe to the US in 1998. I quickly realized I couldn’t just transplant my old identity into the new environment. Instead, I had to find a way to adapt to a new society while staying true to who I authentically was, at my core:

“I had to re-imagine not who I was, but who I ‘could be’ on this side of the ocean.”

The personal life dynamics spilled over into my artwork with two main questions swirling back and forth between both: what else can this be – who else can this/I/you be? Along the way I started embracing the identity of a person, a subject matter, a place, a circumstance, a thing, as ever fluid and evolving in time and space.

Art is life, and life is art. Art brings us the freedom to think and live differently. Allow my work to broaden your mind the way only abstract art can. Use my work as an invitation to spark your own imagination and discover what else is possible … for you.

We are all creative, and regret is still overrated. So open your mind and “re-imagine what else is possible” to live YOUR happy, successful, and deeply fulfilling life.“

Becoming

Master’s in Art Education, I also received from ECU two Bachelor’s degrees: Printmaking and Art Education. I started my education at CCC (Carteret Community College in NC) where I earned two associate degrees: Fine Arts, and General Studies, but this was later in my life.

I began with an art scholarship after graduating from Capital High School in Washington State where I joined the US Marine Corps as a Graphic Artist. Since high school I can say “Life Happened!” and now I reflect back wondering where the time went.

As far as the family I have two sons (Jason & Chris) and three stepdaughters (Shawna, Chrissy, and Rachel) who have been nice enough to bless me with Grandchildren!

My art is the extension of who I am, reflecting the emotional path I am wandering throughout my life. Art is how I am able to translate life’s effects on me from childhood to motherhood. I feel that without art I would have no voice and no way of healing from the trials that life presents. We all find ways to work through our world of emotional highs (love, happiness, blissfulness, harmony) to the lows (anger, sadness, loss, fear) that compose the story of our lives and this is how I keep some form of sanity/reality.

I have been using my life to help create my works with my feelings. My dreams become my drawings…my drawings have become my sculptures and that creates a loop of changing my drawings to paintings…refining my works. I am never really done with anything as nature invades my mind and keeps me conceptionally working on my art mentally….each piece affecting the other. We are all affected by life in different ways from creating art, music, writing, and even being a mathematician….so many ways we as humans are affected by our environment, and how it impacts us is so wonderful and can be so frightening.

I make art on how life impacts me through my eyes……

Bedford Square

Bethany Altschwager is an artist and licensed creative arts therapist born in Connecticut, working in New York, and living in New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College, a Master of Professional Studies from the School of Visual Arts, and a Doctorate of Art Therapy from Mount Mary University. While art has always been an important part of her life, it was her early experiences with darkroom photography that inspired her career in the arts. She started as an art educator teaching photography, graphic design, and general arts to children and teens before pursuing art therapy professionally. She now uses the creative process to support adults experiencing mental health challenges to express themselves, cope with stress and stigma, and develop a greater understanding of thoughts, feelings, and layers of identity. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the art therapy departments at New York University, the School of Visual Arts, and West Liberty University.

Her artwork has been displayed in group exhibitions at Pictor Gallery, the Los Angeles Center for Digital Arts, Artwell Gallery, Gallery on the Green, Pia Sjolin Design Studio, and Arthouse Co-op. She has held solo exhibitions at the Ethel Walker School and Sarah Lawrence College. She maintains an active studio practice primarily focused on digital art and fibers.

Bedford Square is a part of The Street Layers series which started in 2015 when I was in the process of obtaining my creative arts therapy credentials. I worked multiple jobs, seven days a week, sometimes three different places in a single day. I started photographing graffiti and textures I found on the streets en route to each position to try to stay oriented and grounded. At the end of the day, I collaged photographs from each location into a single image. On the surface, the titles appear to be plausible cross streets in New York neighborhoods. In reality, the titles represent new, liminal spaces that I’ve created through my experiences and do not exist in physical reality. For me, these images represent the confluence of time, space, and the cycles of renewal and decay. Preserving images of that which, by its nature, will be washed away, painted over, reconstructed, repaired, or torn down highlights the tension between holding on and letting go. Images in these layers break apart so they can come back together in new configurations. I have continued this practice on and off over the years as a form of visual journaling to document detours, adventures, and changes both personally and professionally. Bedford Square is the newest piece in the Street Layers series and communicates the feelings of confusion and disorientation I feel in the wake of the recent presidential inauguration.

Bee In Flower

Charles Crabb first started in photography when he was eight years old. The years that followed saw the study of the classic photographers, publications, and better equipment, leading to a lifelong fascination with photographic composition.

After a technical career consisting of computer system design, data science, and physical models, Charles is concentrating on his love of the photographic image. His work has been shown in exhibits at the National Orange Show, Riverside, CA; Belmar Arts Council, New Jersey; Art League of Rhode Island; Cotuit Center for the Arts; Cultural Center of Cape Cod; MVA Gallery, Bethlehem, PA; Exhibizone; Click! Festival, Raleigh, NC; Trolley Barn, Poughkeepsie, NY; Louisville Art Association; Indianapolis Art Center; Virginia Beach Art Center; Yeiser Art Center, Kentucky; Marblehead Arts Association (MA); Las Laguna Art Gallery; Wickford Art Association, RI,; Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild, LI; and Prairie Village Arts Council, Kansas, and others.

Charles follows the work of many photographers throughout the world but also keeps a hand in the technical development of photographic tools, both hardware and software. He has an interest in how artificial intelligence is used to enhance images.

I am drawn to a moment’s compositional aspects of line, texture, tone, lighting, and context, more so than a photographic opportunity’s documentary aspect. I try to render moments to reveal the way that I see them and feel about them.

While we emphasize tonal characteristics that attract our artistic subconscious when we interpret a moment, we don’t precisely capture what we feel about a scene. But the photo lives to be interpreted by others. When I create a photograph, I understand that others will analyze what it is, and find new meanings in it.

In photography, it is both technique and technology that produce the image. I am careful to understand the camera’s influence on capturing an image and to understand the camera’s limitations; I try to use camera settings to reveal how the image affects me, but the conversation about the story and meaning of the image transcends the involvement with the technology that is used to capture it. Then, using developing tools cautiously, I try to uncover tonal aspects of an image that bring out undiscovered aspects of its form; the image becomes a personal design of an encounter with a particular moment that must be rendered.

As developing tools become more powerful, photographers can develop meaning into their works more effectively, and, inventively. I used developing tools to continue the conversation that I had when capturing the image with the camera. Oftentimes this process can lead to the abstract, but it is all generated by me, with my artistic process.

My photos reflect my environment; they form a record of the scenes where I live and travel that I feel will tell us a little more about how we visually relate to our surroundings

Beethoven

BORN: 1957 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
RESIDES – Toronto, Canada
EDUCATION: Fine Arts, Georgian College, Ontario, Canada
The Instituto, San Miguel De Allende , Mexico
Two years creating works in Paris, London, Ireland, Morocco

Coburn’s been a professional artist for over 35 years. If his work looks familiar it’s because it’s everywhere. He can often be spotted drawing or painting on location – both exhibiting and expressing his passion for New York, Paris, Toronto & Tokyo.
• The Mayor of NYC exhibited Coburn’s work as part of a group exhibition titled : Catalyst: Art and Social Justice, at Gracie Mansion, The home of the Mayor and First Lady of New York City.
• He has 27 original pen & ink drawings in the permanent collection of the National September 11, Memorial & Museum in New York City.
• In 2021 Coburn exhibited in a group exhibition at the Silvermine Arts Centre, New Canaan, CT
• The Canadian Consulate, NYC as well as Sciame Construction, Wall Street, NY have hosted Coburn’s works, in 2011 & 2015

• Additional works include: Macy’s Commercial, Britain’s GQ magazine, New Yorker exhibitions, NHL, DIOR, 5 published books about NYC, 20 murals for 2nd Cup Coffee Co. Art created for Britain’s Pop Star Robbie Williams, TD BANK, Cadillac Fairview, The Wall Street Journal, The Globe & Mail, Toronto.

Represented By:
• Beckett Fine Art, Hamilton, Canada
• Gagne Contemporary, New York & Toronto
• Sybil Frank Gallery, Prince Edward County Canada
• Takanawa Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

In no particular order, I’m street obsessive. I’m happiest working “Plein air“.

The intensity x immediacy of setting up my portable studio smack down on any given street or Avenue, whether New York, Paris, Toronto, or Tokyo, infuses me with the spontaneity I crave creating emotionally charged art.”

With hundreds of people flowing by that visceral thriving connection to strangers and excited viewers ignites my work. People stop and express their relationship and history of the subject I’m drawing, their thrill and anticipation directly influence my work. Elements of music, fashion, and architecture skewer my palette, showing up in color, typography, and radical surprises encountered in the city – my ensuite of dreams. “

Before The Clock Struck Midnight

Andrea Hellman, Ed.D., is an associate professor of English at Missouri State University. She holds a doctorate in Language, Literacy, and Cultural Studies from Boston University. She is best known for her publications in TESOL and directs a National Professional Development grant project called Show Me Multiliteracy.

Andrea is a prolific fine artist, who maintains an online gallery of her works. She is a member of the Fresh Gallery in Springfield, Missouri. Her preferred medium is digital painting although she has worked in oil painting, watercolor, etching, collage, mixed media, and photography. Accolades for Andrea’s art in 2023 include two Gold, a Silver, and two Bronze Awards from the J. Mane Gallery, two Artist-of-the-Month Awards and five Bronze Awards from the Camelback Gallery, a Second Place Award and an Honorable Mention from the Ten Moir Gallery, a Bronze Award from the Global Painting Conclave, two Talent Prize Awards and an Honorable Mention from Teravarna, an Artistic Excellence Award and two Honorable Mentions from Fusion Art, two Special Merit Awards and several Special Recognitions from the Light Space Time Gallery, a Best-in-Show Award and a Crystal Award from the Gallery Ring, two Laurel Awards from Gallery 4%, an Honorable Mention from the Art Show International Gallery and the Art Room Contemporary Online Gallery. Her art was published in the Passengers Journal, the Beyond Words Literary Magazine, and New Note Poetry, and she was a featured artist in Hayden Ferry’s Review Issue 72, Spring/Summer, 2023.

Andrea’s current art projects are about play and exploration. She lives in a vibrant arts community; her works reflect the relationship of art forms, theater, poetry, dance, and music. She occupies herself with “what if” questions to generate creative imagery visualizing her musings and sensations in the present.

My current art projects are primarily influenced by my passion for play and exploration. I experiment with color schemes, curious shapes, light patterns, varied lines, dynamic compositions, my collection of digital materials, and texture brushes. I occupy myself with “what if” questions to generate creative imagery: What if I captured the flight patterns of my backyard birds? What if I condensed the colors of my favorite Florida beach into a single image? What if I could recreate the feeling of silk through colors? What if I merged different poses of a figure into a single image? What shapes and patterns would result from layering objects in various blend modes? Another main influence comes from observing other artists at work and visiting art museums wherever I travel. I focus on the finer details of underpaintings, blending, brush strokes, paint mediums, and varnishes. I photograph textures and patterns that inspire me to try something new in my work. I usually have the best time when I am left behind in a museum to roam in circles around the art.

Begging Fish

Shanye Huang studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and graduated from Guangxi Arts University in China. He went abroad for solo exhibitions at invitation in England and the States and became a US citizen after being awarded a permanent US visa under an “outstanding artist” status in 1995. His large painting, Tapestry of Dreams, has inspired an American musician to create a grand dance symphony, and was made into a ballet premiered in NYC in 2009. Huang’s work has been featured in over 100 groups and solo exhibitions worldwide. His recent awards include the Creativity Projects Grant, Folklife Apprenticeship Grant, Public Art Planning Grant in Maryland, Foundation for Contemporary Art Fund in NYC, the US Artists Foundation Fund in Chicago, and The Art Bank Collection Fund in DC. Reviews of his work have been published in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and the Fine Arts in China.

I believe art gives our mind a wide range of space to create and experiment and should have no limitations. My art is my words of expression. I create works to connect, communicate, and inspire. Throughout my decades of art journey, I have experimented with various materials and painting techniques including newspaper, linen, wood, bamboo, reused CDs, and repurposed strong construction material. I create works after sifting through intense life experiences, observations, and meditations. Therefore, my work evolves as my life along the path changes.

Nevertheless, with roots deeply rooted in my ethnic Zhuang Chinese culture and heritage, I infuse the essence of Chinese yin-yang philosophy, calligraphy, and woodblock prints, as well as the elements of my native folk art such as embroidery and textiles into my works. I use lines, colors, symbols, metaphors, forms, and patterns in my art to express love, hope, longing for a better life and blessings despite the struggles and hardships we have gone through in life.

Inspired by a Chinese proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, the work, “Yearning,” explores the resilient spirits in one’s life pursuits.

The work “Begging Fish” is inspired by my meditation and observation upon the ever-concerning issue with the climate changes that threaten life on earth. Fish is a common symbol in Chinese folk-art symbolizing “extra,” “prosperity” and “wealth”. Using this familiar metaphor, the work begs deeper thoughts from its viewers.

Begin Again Again

Melinda Abrams, BFA, MSA, CPCC is a creator at heart. With a passion for exploring new techniques and mediums, Melinda has produced a body of work that showcases her versatility and artistic vision where anything is possible and each piece is more spellbinding than the last. Whether you are a fan of contemporary art or simply appreciate creativity, you will find something to admire in Melinda’s portfolio.

Her work has been shown at HMVC gallery- NYC; The Mayton Inn-Cary NC; WakeMed-Cary, NC; Wilmington Art Assoc-NC; BFAB-Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Boylan Heights Art Show-Raleigh, NC, Arts on Market-Chapel Hill, NC, The Sourwood Festival-Black Mountain, Pullen Art Gallery-Raleigh.

As an artist, my journey is a continuous exploration of movement, intention, and the transformative power of creativity. My senior thesis in the 1980’s, “Accumulations,” was based on a series of iterative movements through points in space. Fast forward to the 2020s, and this theme continues to drive my creative process. Grounded in the philosophy that art should evoke emotion and connection, my work embodies a deep desire to communicate through movement—both in the craft of painting and the experience of the viewer.

In 2025, I am excited to unveil my latest series, “INTENTIONS.” This body of work delves into the heights we can reach when we align our intentions with our creative impulses. Each piece begins with a word or phrase that resonates deeply within me. From there, I engage in a meditative process where I allow the ink to flow, guided by intuition and a sense of exploration. My mind quiets. The images emerge. While the flowers are blown into being, the strokes in the grid work are the words I paint onto the page creating the tapestry of art.  The title of the painting is literally in the art. It’s not so literal that you can read it word for word, yet the essence is in there with each stroke of color on the page.

Throughout my work, my approach remains steadfast: I do not seek to replicate the familiar. Instead, I draw from a well of emotions, ideas, and energies that inspire new movements and interpretations. The beauty of abstraction lies in its ability to invite personal reflection, and with “INTENTIONS,” I aspire to create a dialogue that transcends language and cultural boundaries.

My goal is for viewers to find themselves within these layers, to see reflections of their own journeys, and to feel encouraged to elevate their own creative expressions. Ultimately, “INTENTIONS is about possibility. It invites you to recognize abundance in everyday moments, embrace your authentic self, and share your unique light with the world.

Simultaneously, my resin series ensures that the beauty of brokenness is prominently featured. By incorporating fragments of previous artworks—pieces that once told their own stories—I give them new life and context. This process of breaking and remaking challenges us to see value in imperfection and change, encouraging the viewer to embrace the idea that from what is broken, beauty can always emerge anew.

As you engage with my art, I hope you are moved by the energy and vibrancy, and inspired to explore the boundless potentials that exist within you.

Prolific Shameless Love 2024-25.
Prolific…May you be present and recognize abundance every day.
Shameless…May you let people see you, and what you care about.
Love…May you do what you love, say what you love, and share what you love.  May you love others as they shamelessly share with you.
-Melinda Abrams 2025

Beginning Of Anything

Katja Lührs was born in Rochlitz/Germany. Discovered at the age of eighteen by New York fashion photographer Mike Reinhardt and has worked for magazines at home and abroad (including Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, Marie Claire, Petra, Stern, Madame, Twen)

As an actress, she appeared in front of the camera for films (including The Woman Without a Body, Robin Hood) and TV series (including Schwarzwaldklinik, Marienhof, Dr. Stefan Frank).

She received her training as an author and journalist at Burda Verlag. She worked as a presenter for ZDF and ARD (public television in Germany. As well as for ORF in Austria with the program “Fun in the Snow”. An art and design training course with ArtTabea Caren. A training course in conversation and hypnosis therapy at the Institut Erhard Freitag Hypnosis Center Munich and a medically certified yoga teacher training at the Institut Scharnagl Munich.

Skydiving training by the Swiss Confederation.

Diving certificate from SSI – Scubaschools International Israel

Shows On Television

  • Cinema flashback (weekly broadcast on Sat 1-)
  • Colorful talk show (weekly broadcast on Sat 1-)
  • Skydiving (40-minute film broadcast worldwide)
  • Fun in the snow (game show on Sat 1 and ORF)
  • The beautiful weekend (weekly broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
  • Saturday Club (weekly broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
  • Abendschau (daily broadcast on Bavarian television ARD)
  • Bremer Fernsehen Abendschau ARD (daily broadcast)
  • Bellezze Sulla Neve (weekly game show in winter on ORF as well as in Italy and Spain)
  • Enzymforum (weekly broadcast on the RTL regional program)
  • Marriages in court (moderation for 9 years on ZDF)
  • Music workshop (broadcast quarterly on ZDF)

Design And Moderation

  • Art – fashion – and jewelry design – 3 years of training at ArtTabea Caren
  • Jewelry design for RTL Group and HSE24. The programs were called: “Katja Lührs Design” and “Katja Lührs Classic”

Author

  • Book: “Viva Veggie” (Hans – Nietsch – Verlag) Nutrition guide with CD-Rom to optimize your personal menu contains the favorite recipes of celebrities such as Kim Basinger, Paul McCartney, Martina Navratilova
  • Book: “Smoothie – Fit” Healthy Eating (Hans – Nietsch – Verlag)

Exhibitions

Gallery of the Creative Company Madrid and Munich – ARTHOUSE Munich – ARTBOX World 1.0 – The Hub Munich – ARTBOX Barcelona – Galerie Azur Brussels – ART MUC Munich – Discovery Artfair Frankfurt – ARTe Wiesbaden – Los Angeles ART LAB – Johnathan Schultz Gallery Miami – PAVOT Gallery Bucharest – Venice Biennale – ARTBOX Zurich – Cover in the art magazine “ARTPROFIL” in November 2020 as well as pages in the magazine – ARTBOX World 2021 with the image “farbenklang”, awarded as a finalist and 3 times as a semifinalist – ITSLIQUID Group (ITS) winner of the Artist of the Year 2022/2023.

ITSLiquid Group (ITS) Artist of the Year 2022 and 2023 – Winner Circle Arts 2023 – Harmony for Humanity the Global Consciousness Art Prize 2023 – Winner Collectors Art Prize Planet Future 2023 – Artbox World Winner 2020 – 2021 – 2022 with the painting „Color Sound – Summerdreams – Save the Earth – Blue Night Fog – Rainbow and Moments and 2 Covers in the ART Magazine „ARTPROFIL“ November 2020 and August 2023.

The variety of colors and shapes of flowers, trees, and leaves has fascinated me since I was a child. The power of the sun and its play with light and shadow in nature are characterized by: “grace – the joy of life – confidence – peace and serenity”. With pictures, you can capture the beauties of nature. Because what you love, you also protect. That’s why my motto for my pictures is: “Save the earth”.