Abstracting Eternity – Seagull Nebula

New York-based Chris King left five years of business study to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking. He takes a comprehensive approach to his practice that he finds more fulfilling artistically, working in a range of genres that includes landscape, portraiture, and still life, and is experienced in such technical fields as aerial and architectural photography. His photographs have garnered him numerous international awards, with particular recognition given to his astrophotography. King’s most recent body of work, completed for his Master’s in Digital Photography at New York’s prestigious School of Visual Arts, offers a new perspective on photography’s nude tradition through specialized lighting that brings out the body’s contours and movement. This work will be on display in the fall at Manhattan’s SVA Gramercy Gallery.

Beyond their scientific importance, photographs of outer space have a spiritually intoxicating effect on humans. The astrophotographs in Abstracting Eternity aim to capture this feeling by focusing on nebulae and galaxies, the massive clouds of gas and dust in which stars and their galaxies are born. Because nebulae represent the universe in the process of creation, still relatively formless, they lend themselves to a degree of abstraction that appeals to me as an artist. This takes my images a step away from pure science. I never want viewers to forget, though, that the photographs capture the universe as it was billions of light years ago—an eternity that inspires awe humbles us with our own insignificance, and puts our human troubles in perspective.

In 2020, I decided to spend over a year staying away from the city and camping in the desert in western Texas. I used various equipment, including a telescope and a monochrome camera, to capture color and luminance in the universe.

Abstracting Eternity – Soul Nebula

New York-based Chris King left five years of business study to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking. He takes a comprehensive approach to his practice that he finds more fulfilling artistically, working in a range of genres that includes landscape, portraiture, and still life, and is experienced in such technical fields as aerial and architectural photography. His photographs have garnered him numerous international awards, with particular recognition given to his astrophotography. King’s most recent body of work, completed for his Master’s in Digital Photography at New York’s prestigious School of Visual Arts, offers a new perspective on photography’s nude tradition through specialized lighting that brings out the body’s contours and movement. This work will be on display in the fall at Manhattan’s SVA Gramercy Gallery.

Beyond their scientific importance, photographs of outer space have a spiritually intoxicating effect on humans. The astrophotographs in Abstracting Eternity aim to capture this feeling by focusing on nebulae and galaxies, the massive clouds of gas and dust in which stars and their galaxies are born. Because nebulae represent the universe in the process of creation, still relatively formless, they lend themselves to a degree of abstraction that appeals to me as an artist. This takes my images a step away from pure science. I never want viewers to forget, though, that the photographs capture the universe as it was billions of light years ago—an eternity that inspires awe humbles us with our own insignificance, and puts our human troubles in perspective.

In 2020, I decided to spend over a year staying away from the city and camping in the desert in western Texas. I used various equipment, including a telescope and a monochrome camera, to capture color and luminance in the universe.

Abstracting Eternity – Veil Nebula

New York-based Chris King left five years of business study to pursue a career in photography and filmmaking. He takes a comprehensive approach to his practice that he finds more fulfilling artistically, working in a range of genres that includes landscape, portraiture, and still life, and is experienced in such technical fields as aerial and architectural photography. His photographs have garnered him numerous international awards, with particular recognition given to his astrophotography. King’s most recent body of work, completed for his Master’s in Digital Photography at New York’s prestigious School of Visual Arts, offers a new perspective on photography’s nude tradition through specialized lighting that brings out the body’s contours and movement. This work will be on display in the fall at Manhattan’s SVA Gramercy Gallery.

Beyond their scientific importance, photographs of outer space have a spiritually intoxicating effect on humans. The astrophotographs in Abstracting Eternity aim to capture this feeling by focusing on nebulae and galaxies, the massive clouds of gas and dust in which stars and their galaxies are born. Because nebulae represent the universe in the process of creation, still relatively formless, they lend themselves to a degree of abstraction that appeals to me as an artist. This takes my images a step away from pure science. I never want viewers to forget, though, that the photographs capture the universe as it was billions of light years ago—an eternity that inspires awe humbles us with our own insignificance, and puts our human troubles in perspective.

In 2020, I decided to spend over a year staying away from the city and camping in the desert in western Texas. I used various equipment, including a telescope and a monochrome camera, to capture color and luminance in the universe.

Abundance

Amy Lewis is a self-taught artist from Washington state. Her watercolor and oil paintings are vivid lifelike snapshots of ordinary life glamorized. Amy, inspired by fashion editorials and historic paintings of aristocracy, pairs everyday objects with rich backgrounds. The juxtaposition of the ordinary and the luxurious sparks an appreciation for the things we take for granted. She paints to cultivate joy and an appreciation for the beauty that is all around us.

My work is a practice of gratitude. It is the cultivation of joy and an appreciation for the beauty that is all around us. I’m constantly exploring ways to portray ordinary life as glamorous. Everyday objects with luxurious backgrounds create a juxtaposition that sparks an appreciation for the things we take for granted. In the beauty of the ordinary, I am reminded to be grateful and to use my privileges for the good of others. Fashion editorials and historic paintings of aristocracy are rich sources of inspiration. I work in watercolor and oil paints. For watercolors and oil paintings, alike, I paint roughly 3-4 layers. Many layers mean that the resulting painting has a smooth finish and vivid complex colors. Depending on the size, medium, and complexity of a piece they can take 1-2 days or 1-2 months. Most recently I am proud of being featured in Gita Joshi’s Art Seen Magazine and throwing my own group art exhibition in Seattle, WA.

Achieve Greatness

Toti Cuesta is an award-winning watercolor artist who creates stunning portraits inspired by nature. Through her work, she hopes to bring awareness to the importance of environmental conservation and share the beauty and peace she finds in the natural world. With her profound love for mother nature, Toti Cuesta’s pieces are a must-see for anyone looking to connect with the environment.

After years of working in the international arena as a lawyer, she decided to pursue her great passion – art – and live a meaningful life. Art has always had a healing power for Toti, and she trained as an Art Therapist to help others heal with art.

Toti strives to create pieces that connect the viewer to the subtle worlds of the universe. Through her art, she invites her viewers to partake in a magical and transforming experience by combining several planes of reality. Her pieces seem connected to an infinite flow of energy. Toti Cuesta’s work is a tribute to the beauty and power of nature, and it is a reminder of the deep connection between us and the world we inhabit.

Toti Cuesta has created a remarkable portfolio of beautiful watercolor portrait art that reflects her deep love and admiration for nature. Her work has earned her recognition and international awards, as well as exhibitions in places such as New York, Venice, and Zurich. Her art has also been featured in several international books and magazines, including ArtTour International magazine’s TOP 60 Masters list.

Toti’s pieces are not only captivating to look at but also serve to bring awareness to the importance of environmental conservation. Through her vibrant and dynamic portraits, Toti can show the peace and beauty found in nature if we take the time to appreciate it.

As a surreal portrait artist, I use watercolor to create paintings that merge symbols and vibrant colors, inviting you into a new world filled with light and life. Through these elements, I communicate universal stories that resonate within your subconscious, connecting you with the divine and the eternal. My art offers an alternative view of the world that inspires you to explore more profound levels of consciousness and rediscover human divinity.

The female figure, central in my works, symbolizes life, maternity, creativity, resilience, and love. She represents Mother Earth, embodying love and respect for everything around us, including nature and the urban environment, which deserve our care to create a more loving and just world.

My colors convey energy and emotion, utilizing a mix of cool and warm tones to symbolize the connection between heaven and earth. They evoke emotions and reflect the human experience. The eyes symbolize our window to the world and the ability to perceive truths beyond the visible.

Through my series of paintings on “urban art,” I seek to share inspirational phrases that invite reflection and connect us with our true essence, reminding us of the immense potential we all carry within.

Through my art, I aim to capture the beauty of the universe and the human experience, prompting reflection on our interaction with the environment and the importance of preserving the natural and cultural beauty surrounding us.

Acionna

As an Irish-born Artist and Poet, Chadains’s work is heavily inspired by ideas of fantasy, classism, and the movement of feminism concerning the rise of the 4th industrial woman and her place in society. Chadain’s art and poetry have been exhibited and published worldwide, from featuring in Poetry Ireland’s Queer Anthology of the next generation of Irish Creatives, to work exhibited from Serbia to the USA.

My hyper-feminine imagery and style are used to discuss our modern distaste for femininity, despite its allure. This a perfect dichotomy with modern cultures’ obsession with beauty but contempt of feminine interests, impressions, and representations.

My practice is partly born from my aphantasia and astigmatism, quirks that leave me unable to visualize normally, something which lends itself well to my continuous iteration process.

I merge my experience as an outsider artist with my intersectional feminist and classical lens. I studied the classics, both in texts like Medea and in the art to give myself an understanding of what was created in the male gaze so I could truly paint my feminine subjects and femininity from an informed gaze. An art movement is never finished until every gaze is seen and every story is accounted for.

I prefer to engage the viewer in the intersection of poetic language, technology, and visual symbolism to discover the impact of my ideas on the viewer, emotionally challenging the viewer on their preconceived notions of what it means to be feminine.

Across The Universe

Adriana Azevedo was born in 1970 in Natal, Brazil. During the Covid pandemic lockdown, she’s unleashed her artistic passion and embraced it. As an immigrant artist based in Florida, her unique Brazilian perspective and cultural background inspire her creative expression.

She worked as an architect in Brazil for 2 decades before moving to the United States. She is proud and honored to contribute to the vibrant and diverse artistic community in the Orlando area.

I find my deepest inspiration in the fascinating worlds of Cubism and Surrealism. These influential movements have ignited my creative spirit, guiding me to explore the intricate interplay between reality and imagination on canvas.

My work is a reflection of the multifaceted nature of existence. Through the lens of Cubism, I deconstruct the ordinary, breaking down conventional forms into a tapestry of geometric shapes and angles. This allows me to unveil new dimensions within the familiar, encouraging viewers to contemplate the essence of what they see.

Addiction

Irina Howard is a New York-based artist whose work explores the complexity of human life experiences. She is internationally recognized for rigorously composed and sublimely musing paintings and sculptures. Her innovative style is inspired by organic forms and textures bridging reality and imagination, giving a physical form to a conceptual idea, and revealing the visible within the invisible.

Howard was born and grew up in Ukraine. As a child, she encountered traumatic events that influenced her to interact with the world through her drawings. Her youth Howard spent in the elite cultural group committed to arts and literature, where she established her lifelong passion for the arts. By lifting the burden off her shoulders, she emerged with the personal belief that the artist has no right to contribute any more pain to a world full of struggle and despair, which kept her in artistic silence for several years. Moving to the United States, exploring different careers, and then heading into a midlife crisis significantly changed her perspectives and led to a creative awakening. Her real-life experiences of grief and hope found reflection in her current series of works. Howard studied fine arts and graduated with honors from the City University of New York and Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.

Irina Howard is a recipient of several awards. Her recent recognitions: “Oscar of Visual Arts” as Top 60 Masters of Contemporary Art in 2022 by Art Tour International Magazine. Her work has been widely published in magazines like Aesthetica, the Art & Culture Magazine, Art Ideal Contemporary Aesthetics Magazine, and art books worldwide, including Important World Artists by Worldwide Artbooks. Her most recent exhibitions are at Art San Diego in California, and Hamptons Fine Art Fair in New York, USA. Her work highlights multiple private collections internationally.

“Patterns of Life” is a black-and-white collection of paintings and sculptures communicating life experiences and human values. The choices we make in life shape our identity and motivate our future behavior. By illustrating both positive and negative outcomes, I encourage the viewer to believe in themselves, be their best, and look for a positive change.

I draw inspiration from organic texture and compose my themes by giving physical form to a conceptual idea, bridging reality and imagination in the form of artistic beauty and revitalizing energy. My fascination with forms and textures takes me on a journey to reveal and interpret their meaning, unique purpose, and beauty in connection to human experiences. The creative use of symbols illustrates visual metaphors and offers insight into an idea or a concept from a different perspective.

My processes combine research, thoughtful, conscious decisions, and spontaneous, intuitive solutions while creating compositions. I realized that abstract style is my best form of artistic expression. It opens doors for curiosity, imagination, interpretation, and the flow of inner emotions. The development stage is very exciting. Lines – help me to create feelings; shapes and forms – to reflect emotions, thoughts, and perception; texture – to reveal experiences; color tones – to add contrast and reinforce the message through design and composition.

My favorite elements are circles and curved lines. I found them simple but, at the same time, very compelling. The circle is a line that never stops, represents “completeness,” and gives a sense of protection, friendship, femineity, community, and perfection. It naturally communicates positive emotions and builds a strong visual identity. In my work, circles often symbolize hope.

My body of work expresses personal experiences, thoughts, spirituality, feelings, and philosophy in life. I always strive to inspire hope and encourage positivity.

Adi

I am a first-generation Ecuadorian American artist, born and raised with a passion for creativity. From a young age, I was drawn to the vibrant world of graffiti, a love that not only shaped my artistic vision but also led me to win multiple competitions, including mural contests. In high school, I was honored to be voted “Most Artistic,” an acknowledgment that fueled my desire to pursue art in all its forms.

With a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, I developed a strong foundation in design and structure, which seamlessly blends into my work as both an artist and a third-generation stone mason. I am the owner of Art in Stone Masonry and Design, a company that specializes in creating one-of-a-kind stone works, combining my architectural skills with my family’s craftsmanship traditions.

Painting has always been an integral part of my life. While I’ve explored various styles, my current focus is abstract painting, where I express emotion and energy through color, texture, and form. My art is a reflection of my journey, influenced by my cultural roots, my experiences in the world of architecture, and my family’s legacy in stone masonry. Through my paintings, I seek to capture the essence of life, movement, and the beauty found in both the seen and unseen.

As an avid traveler, my work is deeply influenced by new experiences, unfamiliar landscapes, and fleeting encounters. I am drawn to abstract faces—sometimes inspired by people I meet along the way, but more often, reflections of myself. Each piece becomes a visual diary, capturing emotions, moments, and memories that words cannot fully express.

My process is intuitive and unrestrained. I begin by emptying my mind, allowing color to lead the way. The shades and tones I choose are often those that stood out to me during my travels—vivid hues from a bustling city, muted earth tones from a quiet desert, or the unexpected contrast of light and shadow. Using brushes, spray paint, or scraping techniques, I layer and distort until a face emerges, raw and undefined, yet deeply familiar.

I believe my best work comes when I stop thinking and simply let it flow. In that space of pure instinct, I find truth—not just in the faces I create, but in the connection between movement, memory, and emotion.