Author: Seraphina Calder

Stephen Crawford never expected to find himself with a paintbrush in hand. Fifteen years ago, if someone had suggested he’d become an artist, he probably would’ve laughed. Art was for other people—people with degrees, portfolios, and talent. Crawford didn’t believe he belonged in that world. But sometimes life nudges us. A friend convinced him to join an art class. That single experience cracked something open. Since then, painting has become not just a hobby but a path—one he never saw coming, but now follows with intent. Self-taught, persistent, and emotionally tuned in, Crawford has developed a visual language rooted in…

Natalie Dunham doesn’t approach art as a form of decoration. She’s not concerned with spontaneity or splashy gestures. Her work is grounded in structure, repetition, and form. She builds rather than paints, composes rather than sketches. Her pieces feel deliberate but never cold—there’s a kind of steady heartbeat running through the grids, curves, and sequences she creates. Dunham talks about her process as a kind of emotional pacing. It’s not a search for beauty but for balance. She works slowly, methodically, layering and repeating until a piece feels complete—not just physically, but conceptually. She earned her BFA in painting from…

Hala Kusiak doesn’t paint to impress. She paints to awaken. Her work doesn’t beg for attention—it stands quietly, steadily, inviting viewers to take a second look. And when they do, something happens. Her art doesn’t just appeal to the eyes—it stirs the mind, and often, something deeper. She calls this process an “emotional awakening.” It’s not marketing talk. It’s the core of her practice. Kusiak refers to herself as a bold and forward-thinking artist, but she’s not interested in flash. Her work is rooted in connection—between people, generations, and the inner architecture of our lives. She talks about “constructional functional…

Queen Huda paints with instinct rather than instruction. She didn’t go to art school. She doesn’t follow rules about line, color theory, or form. Instead, she leans into what feels true. Her paintings come from somewhere beyond logic—rooted in mysticism, shaped by nature, filtered through imagination. Though she describes herself as self-taught, it might be more accurate to say she’s teaching herself to see differently. Her work isn’t concerned with copying the world. It reflects something else—something deeper and slightly out of reach. A mix of dream and memory. Her pieces often carry a sense of ritual, as if something…

Jeanette Seijo paints like someone who remembers how it felt to be wide-eyed at the world. Her work is playful without being naïve—bold color, textured strokes, and scenes that feel halfway between dream and memory. Seijo speaks often about painting as a way to reconnect with her inner child. For her, it’s not just an art practice—it’s a break from the heaviness of modern life. She builds a space where magic is allowed. Where the paint itself seems to laugh a little, and every canvas offers an open invitation: Come in, relax, let the serious stuff wait. Many of her…

Terry Taylor doesn’t paint in whispers. Her work enters the room like a force—unapologetic, raw, and grounded in the human condition. Her paintings aren’t meant to decorate; they’re meant to confront. Taylor is driven by a need to reveal the underlayers of being—what she calls “the naked existence of humans.” She peels back identity, ambition, even dignity, to show the creature beneath. In her view, flesh carries memory, and spirit is heavy with experience. There’s no romantic gloss in her work. What you see is what remains after illusion has burned away. Taylor’s process is intuitive but anchored in deep…

Born in Philadelphia, Toni Silber-Delerive came of age in a city steeped in history and art. Her creative path began with a BFA in painting from the Philadelphia College of Art, followed by an MA in art education from Kean College in New Jersey. New York City became another turning point. There, she studied graphic design and silkscreen printing at the School of Visual Arts. These layers of training—traditional and commercial, practical and expressive—helped shape a voice that spans disciplines. Silber-Delerive moves between mediums with ease. But no matter what she’s working on—canvas, print, or digital image—her eye stays sharp, and her…

John Gardner’s work doesn’t just preserve likeness—it preserves spirit. A sculptor driven by empathy and wit, Gardner’s journey into bronze is rooted in a deep belief: that great people should be remembered not only for what they did, but for who they were. His bronzes are warm, human, and full of presence. Gardner isn’t chasing perfection. He’s chasing recognition—the quiet moment when someone sees a sculpture and says, “That’s him. That’s her. That’s exactly who they are.” Based in South Africa, Gardner’s body of work includes tributes to some of the continent’s most iconic voices, as well as more abstract…

Eva Lemay’s painting practice begins not with observation, but with sensation. She works from what she feels more than what she sees—letting color, gesture, and rhythm guide her into each piece. Her relationship to the landscape isn’t just visual; it’s physical, emotional, and almost ritualistic. Raised with a deep attachment to the natural world, Lemay paints to keep that connection alive. Each canvas becomes a fragment of time and place, not documented but remembered in movement, breath, and light. She works in oils, letting the material remain fluid—blending greens, blues, yellows in ways that mirror the organic world itself. Her…

Samaj X is an artist whose work cuts through noise with intention. His visual language is rooted in something personal, but it stretches into the shared space we all inhabit. Drawing from cultural memory, spiritual symbolism, and lived experience, Samaj X builds pieces that feel like they’ve always existed—like they were waiting to be uncovered. His approach is deeply intuitive. He doesn’t chase trends or external validation. He moves through the work with trust in his own eye, often letting instinct and inner reflection guide the path. For Samaj X, the act of making art is a kind of excavation.…