Skateboard
Ronaldo Byrd was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He is a Contemporary Hip “Pop” Artist who began painting at the tender age of 3. As an early teen, Byrd was accepted to and attended Art Instruction School, which boasts graduate, Charles Schulz. He graduated and received a Diploma in Art from Art Instruction School at age 16. While enrolled in the course, Byrd was also attending The High School of Art and Design in New York City, before moving to Burlington, New Jersey. Byrd then was accepted to and attended Burlington County Institute of Technology, where he majored in and received a Diploma in the field of Advertising Art and Design. Byrd is mostly a self-taught Artist who has developed his own style of art and his own characters, which he puts in phenomenal scenes. He has shown his work in several galleries, including a solo show at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Byrd and his artwork have also been featured in several newspapers and magazines. One of which includes, The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also been a feature story on CBS 3 Eyewitness News. Byrd’s message to the world through his artwork is one of love and acceptance. His hope is to convey this as boldly and as beautifully as he can.
I am a Contemporary Hip “Pop” Artist who just happens to be on the Autistic Spectrum. My artwork focuses on the fact that everyone is beautiful regardless of race, color, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. The bold colors I use represent the way I see the world. There is beauty in everything I see and I believe that everyone has something to offer to the world in their own special and unique way. Thus, I have been deemed “The Artist of Happiness” because of the joy that my artwork brings to countless people. My art and I represent differences and my hope and goal is for the entire world to be able to see beauty and acceptance through my eyes—-the eyes of an artist.
Sketch
Kylo-Patrick Hart is an award-winning photographer and chair of the Department of Film, Television, and Digital Media at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas, USA). He received his formal training in digital media arts while a student at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, with additional instruction provided by offerings of the Maine Media Workshops and Santa Fe Workshops. His photographs have been exhibited in numerous cities throughout the United States and in several countries abroad.
Photography has been my passion since early childhood. My motivation is to discover and capture the beauty, even when it is not always readily self-evident, that surrounds us continuously in all areas of our everyday lives. I believe the finest images are those that are serious yet playful, aesthetically appealing yet a bit quirky. As both an artist and an admirer, my favorite photographs tend to be ones whose contents speak loudly for themselves — even when it is not immediately clear exactly what they are saying.
Skull Bride
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.
Sky
Leombruni is a Connecticut-based painter whose work explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of human experience through a lens of expressive realism. Janet Leombruni is President Emeritus of CT Women Artists. She is an Elected Member of the CT Academy of Fine Art, New Haven Paint &Clay, West Hartford Art League, and her work is part of multiple collections in the US and Europe.
Solo shows: Celeste LeWitt Gallery at UCONN Health Center, Arts of Tolland CT, the Monastery Gallery in West Hartford, Atrium Gallery at Raymond Library EH CT, FIAT LUXE at the Art League of New Britain, Workspace Manchester, CT. Leombruni has held artist talks at Kehler-Liddell Gallery in New Haven and the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, and was a featured artist for the CWA Art Chat Series. Her work is currently in the Hillstead Museum, Farmington, CT.
Group Shows: Jorgensen Gallery, UCONN, Mattatuck Museum Waterbury, Monastery Gallery, West Hartford, Slater Memorial Museum, CT, Barnes-Franklin Gallery Tunxis, CT, Flinn Gallery with the Greenwich Art Society, Theaterworks, Hartford, CT, CAFA at Lyme Academy of the Arts and Sill Gallery, Old Lyme, the New Britain Museum of American Art, New Haven Paint and Clay, SOHO20 Chelsea, NYC, KBM Gallery Riverside, CA, Rhode Island Watercolor Society, San Fernando, CA, dodomu Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, and San Rafael, CA.
Leombruni received a BA from Hartford Art School, an MA in Education from UCONN, and a Master Plus 30 in Painting and Art Education from CCSU.
In my work, I tell the stories of my experiences in the classroom. I also explore relationships, sometimes utilizing tropes or idioms in the form of children’s literature, myths, films, or portray stories as told to me by my students. I like to examine themes of hope, impulsivity, family, fantasy, innocence, and coming of age. My colors are powerful. Figures often occupy charged, ambiguous spaces, where gesture, symbolism, and narrative intersect to reveal underlying tensions between individuals and their environments. I seek to draw the viewer in, to elicit an emotional response. I like to ask the viewer to determine: What is really going on here?
Sleepy Moon
Meet Sue Anderson, the creative force behind Susan Locke Photography. Susan is a talented photographer with a passion for capturing the beauty of the world around us. Her work is a celebration of the natural world and the moments that make life special.
Susan’s love of photography began at a young age when she received her first camera as a gift. Over the years, she has honed her skills, experimenting with different techniques and styles to create stunning images that capture the essence of her subjects.
Susan’s photography is characterized by its timeless beauty and attention to detail. Her images are infused with a sense of wonder and awe, and they transport viewers to a world of beauty and tranquility. Whether she is capturing the majesty of a mountain landscape or a surreal world, Susan’s photographs are a testament to the power of art to evoke emotion and inspire us to see the world in new ways.
My dreams and the fantastical world of my imagination serve as the sources of my inspiration. I enjoy capturing the essence of my playful view of the world and transforming it into fun photographic compositions that are both captivating and thought-provoking. I invite the viewer to explore the depths of their imagination and to embrace the surreal and magical aspects of life. I aim to produce magical, enchanted, and wonder-filled images that take viewers to a realm where anything is conceivable.
Slumber
Ronaldo Byrd was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He is a Contemporary Hip “Pop” Artist who began painting at the tender age of 3. As an early teen, Byrd was accepted to and attended Art Instruction School, which boasts graduate, Charles Schulz. He graduated and received a Diploma in Art from Art Instruction School at age 16. While enrolled in the course, Byrd was also attending The High School of Art and Design in New York City, before moving to Burlington, New Jersey. Byrd then was accepted to and attended Burlington County Institute of Technology, where he majored in and received a Diploma in the field of Advertising Art and Design. Byrd is mostly a self-taught Artist who has developed his own style of art and his own characters, which he puts in phenomenal scenes. He has shown his work in several galleries, including a solo show at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Byrd and his artwork have also been featured in several newspapers and magazines. One of which includes, The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has also been a feature story on CBS 3 Eyewitness News. Byrd’s message to the world through his artwork is one of love and acceptance. His hope is to convey this as boldly and as beautifully as he can.
I am a Contemporary Hip “Pop” Artist who just happens to be on the Autistic Spectrum. My artwork focuses on the fact that everyone is beautiful regardless of race, color, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. The bold colors I use represent the way I see the world. There is beauty in everything I see and I believe that everyone has something to offer to the world in their own special and unique way. Thus, I have been deemed “The Artist of Happiness” because of the joy that my artwork brings to countless people. My art and I represent differences and my hope and goal is for the entire world to be able to see beauty and acceptance through my eyes—-the eyes of an artist.
Smile!
Darling Graham is a contemporary visual artist whose multidisciplinary practice incorporates drawing, photography, and digital media. She describes her distinctive style as “feminine superflat art,” a refined and concept-driven approach that blends traditional techniques with digital tools to explore identity, femininity, and personal evolution.
Born in Rome, Italy, Darling began her artistic journey at the Liceo Artistico Via Ripetta, where the city’s rich history and architecture left a lasting impression. At nineteen, she moved to Canada, later earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts and Photography from the University of Ottawa. After graduating, she relocated to Montreal, where she gained recognition as one half of the acclaimed photography duo Leda & St. Jacques, known for their visually compelling work in both editorial and commercial settings.
Now based between Canada and the United States, Darling has developed a unique visual language that feels intimate yet symbolically rich. Her work often pairs soft, flat color palettes with the presence of a central female figure, who is stylized, ageless, and emotionally complex. The character’s direct gaze invites the viewer into a layered inner world shaped by memory, mythology, and quiet introspection. A recurring element in her work is her cat, an enigmatic presence that can be seen as a companion, observer, alter ego, or symbol of emotional continuity. This subtle detail adds a sense of tension and depth to her compositions.
Darling’s process often begins with photographic self-portraits, which she then translates into delicate graphite drawings and digitally paints in soft pastel tones. The final creations are predominantly large-format inkjet fine art prints, presenting introspective visual stories that blur the line between personal narrative and universal experience. Her witty titles serve as gentle guides, offering context without limiting interpretation.
Overall, Darling’s work functions as a personal journal: elegant and emotionally resonant, inviting viewers into a space where intimate reflection and broader themes quietly converge.
Art is my existential library. I unfold my work as a personal journal of dreams, fears, happiness, and insecurities, always touched by humor. My style, which I call “feminine superflat art,” blends photography, drawing, and digital painting to create delicate, symbolic compositions. Each piece begins with self-portrait photography and evolves through graphite, pastel, and digital color, forming soft narratives about identity and transformation. The recurring female figure and her cat act as reflections of self and emotional continuity. Creating art means existing in a parallel universe where dreams meet reality, and everything becomes possible. My goal is to offer a moment of beauty, thought, or quiet wonder to those who look at my art, to invite them into my world where fragility becomes strength and imagination gives meaning to being.
Smitty
When I was in grade school and high school, I did a lot of art. I like to think it offered me an incredible foundation for what would come much later. In high school, I studied under Walt Bartman, doing oil painting primarily. I was accepted into the Maryland College of Art and Design on a figure drawing scholarship program that they offered to high school students when I was 16. After high school, I went on to pursue my other passion — helping people. I’ve spent the last 25 years working as a psychotherapist. Sometime in the middle of all of that, I had kids (twins), and eventually came back to drawing in 2017. What I do now is primarily self-taught, though I do feel my training and education as a child have created an invaluable foundation for my work today. I’ve watched countless hours of slowed-down YouTube videos and tutorials, and have spent thousands of hours drawing, practicing, and improving. It’s been a wonderful and challenging journey, and I’ve loved every minute of it! My goal moving forward is to continue to learn and challenge myself as I transition to art full-time. I feel the next step is to get my name out there to the art world. I have just recently started applying to calls via café, and have been accepted into a small handful of international juried shows. My goal as an artist is the same as my goal as a human — connection. I work to find the place where we all meet; that place where our differences recede, and we can settle in. That’s why I draw, to find that snapshot moment where someone can look at my art and go, Oh, yes. I know that feeling.
My artistic practice centers on portraiture—on drawing out the unseen essence of a subject and translating it through the delicate control of graphite. I explore the quiet power of detail—each mark is an invitation to slow down, to look closer, and to witness what is often overlooked. Every drawing is a form of deep listening, an act of attention that honors the emotional and psychological presence of the individual.
I believe hyperrealism, when pursued with discipline and sensitivity, becomes more than a replication of the visible world—it becomes a mirror, a bridge, and sometimes, a wound made visible. I’m fascinated by the complexity of the human face and the subtle interplay of light, texture, and expression that gives a portrait its emotional charge. As a psychotherapist, I’m naturally attuned to nuance, which shapes my artistic philosophy: that realism can reveal as much about the internal world as the external one. It allows me to build tonal depth slowly, almost sculpturally, honoring the patience, presence, and attention each subject deserves.
My style has evolved over the last eight years to a refined form of realism that balances technical control with expressive intent. I see art as a language, and my goal is to create a sense of atmosphere and feeling. I’m currently exploring new directions, including the integration of charcoal for its expressive depth and contrast.
My goal as an artist is the same as my goal as a human — connection. I work to find the place where we all meet; that place where our differences recede, and we can settle in. That’s why I draw, to find that snapshot moment where someone can look at my art and go, Oh, yes. I know that feeling.
My artistic practice centers on portraiture—on drawing out the unseen essence of a subject and translating it through the delicate control of graphite. I explore the quiet power of detail—each mark is an invitation to slow down, to look closer, and to witness what is often overlooked. Every drawing is a form of deep listening, an act of attention that honors the emotional and psychological presence of the individual.
I believe hyperrealism, when pursued with discipline and sensitivity, becomes more than a replication of the visible world—it becomes a mirror, a bridge, and sometimes, a wound made visible. I’m fascinated by the complexity of the human face and the subtle interplay of light, texture, and expression that gives a portrait its emotional charge. As a psychotherapist, I’m naturally attuned to nuance, which shapes my artistic philosophy: that realism can reveal as much about the internal world as the external one. It allows me to build tonal depth slowly, almost sculpturally, honoring the patience, presence, and attention each subject deserves.
My style has evolved over the last eight years to a refined form of realism that balances technical control with expressive intent. I see art as a language, and my goal is to create a sense of atmosphere and feeling. I’m currently exploring new directions, including the integration of charcoal for its expressive depth and contrast. I’ve just completed my largest piece to date—a graphite portrait measuring three feet tall and two feet wide—which has expanded both my physical and emotional engagement with the medium, allowing space for story, intimacy, and connection.
My goal is to create drawings that don’t simply replicate life but evoke it—quietly, powerfully, and with honesty.
Smoke Break
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.