Publishing in Art & Beyond Magazine

I envision new myths for a post-human future using anthropomorphized animals, archetypes and reimagined mythological creatures from our past. Building layers with cold wax and oil paint mimics the layers of time, textures building, inspiring pareidolic images. Channeling my spirit guides, I allow them to speak new entities into being, that listen to my helpless sadness as climate change unfolds, from the comfort of my lovely middle class life. I’m inspired by the fairy tales of Kiki Smith, the oddness of Louise Bourgeois’ psychological venting, and the honest authenticity of outsider artists.

Laurel Antur is based in the mountains of Southern California. Currently working in cold wax and oil, Laurel has used many different media like watercolor, inks and mixed media. Inspired by expressive arts, intermodal arts and accessing the collective unconscious, Laurel uses art as a mystical practice. Fighting the emotional numbness of our times, she uses art to connect with nature and envisions new myths for a possibly post-human world.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, assistant professor of Russian-Armenian University, Member of the International Foundation of Armenian Artists of the Union of Artists of Estonia, born in Yerevan, Armenia. In 1977 graduated from Yerevan State University, Faculty of Philology. In 2006 defended her thesis at the Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU), the theme:

Greetings, I'm Nadya, a 39-year-old artist originally from Russia and currently based in Los Angeles.

Since my childhood, oil paintings have captivated my imagination, and museums were my second home. Five years ago, I finally resolved to pursue my passion for oil painting, embarking on an intensive journey of private and group lessons to hone my skills. I am profoundly grateful to both my teacher and myself for having taken this step.

My paintings comprise a fusion of realism, romanticism, and dreamlike elements. I am particularly fond of using symbols to convey my personal stories through a universal language that resonates with people all over the world. My themes revolve around my emotional experiences and life circumstances, which I translate into imagery to invite the viewer into my inner feminine world.

Bondar finds inspiration in her unique lifestyle as a painter and professional equestrian. Horses are a constant theme in Bondar’s work, but their influence can be felt

equally in the fluidity of movement present in her paintings of people, such as Freedom (2022). Since graduating from the Salvador Dali Art Institute in Kyiv, Bondar has participated in exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout Ukraine, where she is a member of the Union of Young Artists.

Contemporary Ukrainian painter Anna Bondar (aka Anna DAR) produces her works in a spiritual search for harmony. When the war broke out, Bondar was newly pregnant and living in Kyiv. When she attempted to visit her doctor for a check-in, she discovered that the clinic had been bombed. Initially determined to stay, Bondar decided that she had to leave for the good of her baby, and relocated to Marbella, Spain. There, she has created over 90 new works.

Initially trained in realist painting, Bondar came to the realization over time that realism

did not match her thoughts and ideals about contemporary art. Bondar began experimenting with different genres, techniques and materials, and developed a compositional style all her own. For Bondar, painting is “the language of feelings,” a way to speak what cannot be spoken.

Never stop, move forward despite obstacles and misunderstandings from others. You just have your Way and your own Guiding star.

Irina Ciszczon is a Russian-born artist and photographer, embarked on a new chapter on a new chapter of her life in 2015 when she moved to the United States at the age of 50. Starting from scratch in a new country, I found solace and purpose in my passion for the arts. My artistry is inspired by my life experiences and the challenges I faced during my transition to a new culture and way of life. My work often reflects my personal journey, showcasing resilience, hope, and perseverance. My Life story is a testament to the power of passion and creativity to transcend boundaries and overcome adversity.

“EliZe” da Jose – Artist Statement

I understand art as a way of emotionally experiencing reality and a universal language of

communication.

Without conscious e?ort and thought, I try to fill my paintings with expressions strong

enough to let the spectator feel the energy put in the depth of the canvas, transforming the

perception of picture into his own art act.

Most recently, I find myself inspired to focus on developing and exploring the connection

between iconography and abstraction in light of Cosmism philosophy. The inspiration of

this uniquely blended style came about as briefly explained in the following.

I believe that abstract painting was and still is an artist’s attempt at capturing and

expressing Plato's world of ideas which is invisible to the earthly eyes. Then, at the

beginning of the 20th century came the avant-gardism of Filonov and Malevich which was a

rebellion against physicality, materialism and petty-bourgeois consumption.

Iconography takes its roots from the symbiosis of antique vivid imagery and spiritual

practices of Ancient Egypt. From ancient times to the present day, man has never stopped

asking himself questions about who he is and what his true role in this world is.

My newfound unique style of blending iconography and abstract painting is somehow an

endeavour to continue humanity’s perennial e?ort and desire to capture and express the

depth of the invisible world via visible materials, to have a glimpse of the heavenly realm via

earthly instruments, akin to Plato and Malevich’s line of thinking.

In my work, I try to find an image of the elusive other shore - where every soul aspires to go -

and trying to find artful means to communicate what is di?icult to express in words.

ELIZAVETA DAJOSE (Artist Name: Elize)

Elize daJose is a professional artist, sculptor, iconographer and illustrator.

Her artworks primarily consist of a unique blend of abstract art and icon painting, experimenting with various materials, although her favorite media remain acrylic painting and ceramics.

Born in Moscow, Russia, her life as an artist started at a very young age. One day on a snowy street in her hometown, she bought Kazimir Malevich’s book from a peddler which turned her consciousness upside down and defined her entire life path.

From 1996 to 2000, she religiously undertook painting, sculpture, and graphics in various workshops of Moscow artists.

Since 2001, she has been working in the creative workshops of the Babushkinsky Sculpture Combine and in 2002, she became a member of the Moscow Union of Artists, sculpture section.

From 2002 to 2010, she actively participated in group exhibitions at the Central House of Artists, Gallery on Kuznetsky Most, Darwin Museum, and Timiryazev Museum.

In 2010, she participated in the Annual Art Juried Competition in Los Angeles, CA, and became a laureate.

In 2011, she took part in the collective exhibition "Woman Day Art Exhibits" at the Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, CA, and in 2012 she had a solo exhibition "Three Artists" at Liz Loft Gallery, LA, CA.

In 2016, Elize moved to California and actively participated in collective exhibitions, including the "Summer Exhibit" at Bergamot Station Art Center in Santa Monica (2016), "Brain Art Event" at Lark Gallery/The Chiari Project in West Hollywood (2017), and "The Art of Transformation" at Brick & Mortar Loiter Galleries in Long Beach (2023), among many others.

In 2025, Elize was awarded the Silver Medal at the New York International Art Juried Competition, "The Light from the Other Shore."

In 2026, an essay featuring Elize's creativity and spiritual development was published in the book "Revelations of the Artist - Deep Calls to Deep", curated by ArtServe International.

Elize is an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association and Riverside Community Arts Association. She is currently represented by Lark Gallery in West Hollywood and Literary Engineers, LLC in Benicia, CA.

I was born in Russia, in the city of crafts and artists, Sergiev Posad. I graduated with honors from the Ekaterina Higher School of Folk Arts in 2010. I lived and worked in Moscow for a long time, where I graduated in design in 2013.

As for my work, I am always inspired by the lyrical and beautiful nature that surrounds us. Through the lens of my own vision, I combine colors, shapes and materials that intertwine to create a unique and distinctive aesthetic for my work. Some of my paintings are in private collections in Russia, Asia and Europe.

As a professional makeup artist for many years in the entertainment industry. I love transforming and sculpting faces of every kind, but I often wish I could freeze-frame my work, which some how vanishes with the night. Now, through my passion for working with my hands and creating hot bronze and cold cast bronze sculptures. I am able to forever capture subtle emotion and beauty with the finest detail. I am embracing this process with the utmost wonder and zest for what lies ahead. Now, when people view or touch my work, I am filled with joy and satisfaction that they will be able to enjoy it for a very long time.

I am a Professional Makeup Artist working in the Entertainment Industry for many years. As a sculptor I have shown my Collection of Bronze Sculptures in the 2008 Beverly Hills art show \"The Affaire in the Gardens\"

2008 Malibu Art Festival, Malibu Ca.

5th & 6th Annual Thousand Oaks Arts Festival

2008,2009.

From the 6th Annual Thousand oaks Arts Festival I was invited for the month of October 2009 to have my sculptures on display at the Thousand Oaks Community Art Gallery.

My sculptures can be viewed on my website:http//www.bronzedlife.com

“Turning to such visual techniques as fragmentation of the whole, glitch, and deformation is essential here. These creative tactics are decisive for the essence of the artworks: they are permanently suspended and disorganized, thus resembling the atmosphere of mighty dreams or uncontrollable experiences. Reflecting on the experienced emotions in the paintings, I activate the process of distinguishing my own “Self” from the collective “Self”. All my experiences, impressions, and scenarios of life events culminate in geometric shapes saturated with gradients and smooth human and plant outlines.”

Ukrainian artist. Born in Lviv. Currently living and working in Kyiv. Engaged in oil painting and digital collages. In his work, Haida mainly deals with immersion in his own subconscious. The author depicts situations and ideas that emerge inside of him and, thanks to intuitive thinking, turns them into expressive artistic images. Haida’s art is foremost about how we register and comprehend our psyche indications.

I view what I do as communication. Each piece has something to say, and the message resonates differently with each recipient and viewer.

The objective of my work however is the same for each piece, it makes its audience feel something, creating movement in their universe, and at that moment they are engaged in the conversation.

I am self-taught digital photo artist located in Northern California. My affinity for taking pictures began at a young age shooting with everything from a Brownie Hawkeye, SLR Konica, Cannon, DSL Nikon, and an android phone.

Having a second set of eyes (what I see through the lens) can transport us to another world, one which is filled with artistic avenues not always seen by the naked eye.

My works include digital photos to canvas (giclee), prints, and stationary. I have shown at the Sacramento Fines Art Center and The Kennedy Gallery-Sacramento. My work can be viewed at Instagram rhernandez.photoart or FB Rochelle Hernandez

✨ My Mission ✨

Through my art, I seek to help others experience a spiritual awakening — to rediscover inner harmony, hear the heart at deeper levels, and remember the Song of the Soul. My intention is to assist individuals in reconnecting with the soul of our planet, Gaia, and with the consciousness of plants, animals, and the greater cosmos — the galaxies and stellar systems that mirror the vastness within us.

With my paintings, I strive to create spaces that invite reflection, transformation, and healing. Each artwork becomes an environment for exploring certain states of mind and energy — helping to release negative patterns, restore balance and confidence, and awaken intuition and higher awareness.

My aim is to awaken, inspire, harmonize, and fill hearts with beauty, wonder, and a sense of the sublime.

With my art, I seek to create environments and settings that invite contemplation and transformation. Each painting becomes a space for working with certain states of mind and energy — helping to release negative patterns, restore balance and confidence, and awaken intuition and higher awareness. My aim is to inspire, harmonize, and fill hearts with beauty, wonder, and a sense of the sublime.

Each of my artworks is born with a particular intention, setting, or mood — I embed frequencies of emotion and meaning within the paint itself. Thus, my paintings can serve as portals for meditation, reflection, and inner alignment. Through them, I also express my admiration for the beauty and diversity of life on Earth and the infinite expanse of the Universe — its stars, galaxies, nebulae, constellations, and unseen worlds beyond.

✨ Oil Paintings of Night and Light ✨

Space • Cosmos • Other Dimensions

Angels • Archangels • Ascended Masters

Spirits of Gaia • Animal Totems

Sacred Places of Power on Earth

Paintings for Meditation • Inspiration • Healing • Harmonization

✨ Energy Portraits • Color Therapy ✨

Izabel Raa is an award-winning Russian-born American artist, music composer, and author. Her paintings serve as gateways to meditation — vivid portals into states of balance, serenity, and awakening. Drawing on years of spiritual practice across diverse traditions, Izabel creates works that transport the viewer into a higher emotional and energetic resonance. Her intention is to restore love, wonder, and healing to one’s life through art infused with presence and soul.

A true citizen of the world, Izabel follows the call of movement and inspiration, creating wherever she feels resonance. Her creative path has led her through many Places of Power across the globe — from the Himalayas and Mount Uluru to Mount Fuji, the ancient temples of Nepal, Thailand, and Bali, as well as the mystical landscapes of Sedona, Mount Shasta, Monument Valley, and Hawaii. She has also journeyed to the Amazon jungles of Peru, the Egyptian pyramids, and the sacred dolmens of Russia. Each of these places nourishes her art, infusing it with the spirit of the Earth and the infinite Cosmos.

Her artistic journey began in 2013 in California, where she started painting in oil while simultaneously composing music — crafting electronic, cinematic, and meditative soundscapes that evoke both intimacy and vastness. From ambient and experimental sound worlds to piano and string compositions filled with emotion, Izabel’s music transcends genres, exploring the mysterious bridge between sound and color. Her works can be found on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Izabel’s first exhibition took place in 2017 in Sedona, Arizona — the mystical heart of North America. Since then, her artworks have been exhibited in the United States, Italy, India, and Russia, featured in numerous shows, art events, and spiritual festivals dedicated to mindfulness, Buddhism, yoga, Hinduism, Orthodoxy, and Shamanism. Her paintings now reside in private collections and meditation centers worldwide.

She also creates energy portraits — personalized paintings attuned through meditation to the unique vibration of each individual. Working from a person’s photograph, Izabel channels their energy onto canvas, crafting custom artworks delivered globally.

Exhibitions and Events

2017

• Jerome (Sedona), Arizona, USA - Art Walk Event, Yester Day’s Gallery (Jan 2017).

• Jerome (Sedona), Arizona, USA - “The Love of Art,” Art Walk Event, Yester Day’s Gallery (Feb 2017).

• St. Petersburg, Russia - Participation in Budart Art Retreat for Artists (June 2017).

• San Francisco, California, USA - Solo Exhibition, San Francisco Zen Center (Aug 1 - Sept 9, 2017).

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Meditative Art Exhibition and Performance, Budart Meditative Art Festival (Sept 16 - 21, 2017).

2018

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Yogananda Fest “Change Yourself to Change the World” (Apr 28, 2018).

• Lake Forest, Los Angeles Area, USA - Exhibition-sale, Thanksgiving Event, Gallery “Olympic” (Nov 2018).

2019-2020

• Moscow, Russia - Mini Exhibition, Gallery & Tea Club “Arteafact” (Nov 2019 - Jan 2020).

2020-present

• Divnomorskoye, Gelendzhik, Russia - Permanent exhibition, Private Gallery of Eco-Villa “Sea Chalice” (Oct 2020 - present).

2021

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Lark Gallery Online Group Art Show and 2 Artists Zoom Meetings “SoulRise”; publication in Art & Beyond Magazine (Jan - Apr 2021).

• Moscow, Russia - “FreedOM’art,” Group Art Exhibition of Artists of the Spiritual Art Style (July 4, 2021).

2022

• Gelendzhik, Russia - Solo Exhibition “Soul’s Flights” (Jan 7, 2022).

• Gelendzhik, Russia - “Universe of Soul,” Solo Exhibition with music album presentation and guided meditations, SMART Anti-Gallery (Jan - Feb 2022).

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Lark Gallery Group Art Show “Art Transforming Spaces” (Feb 1 - 15, 2022).

• Florence, Italy - International Prize Leonardo da Vinci - The Universal Artist (Feb 6, 2022).

2023

• West Hollywood, California, USA - Lark Gallery Group Art Show “The Art of Wellness” (Mar 2023).

• Gelendzhik, Russia - Solo Exhibition “A Journey Through Inner Places of Power and Resourceful States of Consciousness” (Aug - Nov 2023).

2023-2024

• Divnomorskoye, Russia - Group Art Exhibition “Lumen” (Nov 2023 - Jan 2024).

• Gelendzhik, Russia - Solo art show during various music and art events (Nov 2023 - Mar 2024).

• Gelendzhik, Russia - Solo Show in Café “Na Chile” (Dec 2023 - Apr 2024).

2024

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Lark Gallery Group Art Show “Harmony Within” (Feb - May 2024).

• Gelendzhik, Russia - Solo Show in “Dom Dushi” (House of Soul) (Apr 2024).

• Divnomorskoye, Russia - Audio and visual art performance in Café “Lumen” (May 2024).

2024-2025

• Los Angeles, California, USA - Lark Gallery Group Art Show “Voices of Resilience” (Nov 2024 - May 2025).

2025

• Goa, India - Solo Exhibition “Whispers of the New Earth,” Saral - Café of New Earth (June 2025).

Publications

2017

• “Cathedral’s Magic” — featured in Jerome First Saturday Art Walk celebrates “The Love of Art”, Verde News / Kudos Magazine (Feb 2017).

• Articles and online features connected with the Jerome exhibitions:

– Jerome First Saturday Art Walk celebrates "The Love of Art"

– Jerome Art Walk, February 4, 2017

– Jerome Art Walk to have Valentine’s Day focus

• San Francisco Zen Center Blog — “August Art Show: Izabel Raa” (July 14, 2017).

• Artists on Art Magazine — “Beholders of the Night: A Summer Solstice Oil Painting” (2017).

2018

• Art & Beyond Magazine, July/August Issue — Feature article with paintings “Infinity” and “The Dance of Love”, presented by LarkGallery.

2021

• Art & Beyond Magazine, Summer SoulRise Special Issue — Feature article with paintings “Violet-Blue Heart of the Universe”, “The Way to the Abode of Masters”, "The Path Through Dimensions" and "Mysterious Night of Azur".

• Interview with Artist: Izabel Raa — LarkGallery blog (2021).

2022

• Art International Contemporary Magazine, Issue #1 (Jan–Feb 2022) — Feature the artwork “The Cat, Stardust and Cosmic Fireplace”, or “Where the Love Is”.

• Leonardo da Vinci – The Universal Artist, Florence, Italy — Award and catalog publication (Feb 2022).

2024

• Art & Beyond Magazine, Spring Issue — Feature article and paintings “Enchanted World” and “Alma de Primavera”.

• "Женщина Мира. Пробуждение истины" ("Woman of the World. Awakening of Truth") (Russia) — Printed almanac publication featuring artworks and an article about the artist (2024).

2025

• Art & Beyond Magazine, Winter 2025 — Feature article and paintings “Road to Monument Valley”.

Awards

• International Prize Leonardo da Vinci – The Universal Artist, Florence, Italy (2022).

Links

https://bio.site/izabelraa

https://izabelraa.com/

https://www.instagram.com/izabelraaart/

https://www.facebook.com/izabelraa/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/15QFm0wjlxvNIAO6UVWCkS

https://music.apple.com/us/artist/izabel-raa/1544850360

https://www.pandora.com/artist/all-albums/izabel-raa/AR5xV5gfJrmgwxX

https://music.amazon.com/artists/B08QMLLQGM/izabel-raa

https://www.youtube.com/@IzabelRaa

My art is imagination of created things which do not exist in everyday life. The purpose of my life - is creation of the fantasies. I was always attracted to science fiction books and movies. I put my images of my fantasy’s creatures in paintings and sculptures.

Faina Kumpan was moved from Odessa, Ukraine as a political refugee. She graduated from the Theatrical Art College in Odessa. In her not very exciting childhood, she was dreaming of other worlds. She was obsessed with science fiction.

Her emigration to New York opens the new opportunities. She worked as a designer and changed a lot of different professions. After moving to LA she returned to her love for art and Science Fiction. She attended numerous classes at UCLA Extension and many private workshops. She exhibited in many important galleries in LA and NY. She creates a fantasy world that is a once surreal and abstract, whimsical and vibrant. Whether creating painting or sculptures, her subjects are mystical creatures from another world, like fantastic figures stepping out of the pages of the futuristic fairy tale. She was participating in many group exhibitions.

She was awarded as a creative artist by City of LA for working together to celebrate Los Angeles as Creative Capital of the world. Her works are in many private collections.

The land has always been a reference and source of inspiration for my art. My first paintings were watercolor landscapes. But wanting to work more conceptually, I began to ask questions regarding issues that combined formalism, globalization and those concerning the environment. These queries led to using both abstraction and representation in an attempt to bring an awareness of the earth’s profound beauty and fragility. However, deciding to do something more proactive about the environment led to a four-year gardening project; one that fed artist/gardeners and built community within a community.

The projects that followed began my investigation of perception using photography, but always viewing it from the eye of a painter. Photographing the garden, I created close up images of the heirloom tomatoes and their insides.

Then began my experimentation with process and perception. The first series realized a life-long dream of combining painting and photography in the same image, using photographs of walls and natural objects from my travels. The second series experimented with emulsion, releasing the translucent image of a photo from its paper background. Current bodies of work use the emulsion technique, in addition to archival pigment prints on Slickrock creating a synthetic three-dimensionality.

Kunik was originally a plein-air watercolorist, but wanting to work more conceptually, she returned to school, earning a BFA from Otis College of Art and Design. Informed by environmental and global issues, Kunik’s abstract paintings began referencing these same issues, prompting a four-year community gardening project, which also explored photography and perception. Thus began her investigation of process: combining photography and painting and a unique emulsion process for photographs.

Kunik has been in more than 100 exhibitions in galleries and museums in California, New York and internationally, including Italy, Germany, Japan, Thailand and Peru. She recently received three Gold Awards and five Awards for Excellence for her work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum. She has shown at Art Basel, Art Basel Miami, and Photo LA. Kunik was born in Chicago, Illinois, earning a BA degree from the University of Illinois and an MS from DePaul University. She moved to California in 1978, where she currently resides.

My art name is Lark - the bird that lingers between the earth and the sky. We artists do it at the moment of inspiration and meditation. That's how I create my art. I meditate and start with the spontaneous movements of my instruments; usually it is not a brush. A brush makes me think. My instruments are usually just pieces of cardboard. I also paint on any surface – canvas, board, plexiglass, glass, wood, etc – and I love to experiment and see what happens. My best creations take place in a state of no mind.

Although I begin the way abstract expressionists do and use some sumi-e techniques, eventually most of my creation starts shaping as abstract or impressionistic landscapes as ocean, sky, trees, flowers and mountain views start appearing from the formless. Nature is my source of inspiration, but instead of landscape details I channel nature's moods, the feeling of being one with nature, and swimming in its atmospheric light.

Light is what drives me to continue working. My mission is always to bring more light to people around me with my art, poetry and meditations. I know that viewers feel joy, peace and harmony when they look at my work, enter and settle inside it because it heals their emotional wounds and it makes me happy. Being an artist is an opportunity to express the fountain of my creative energy and at the same time serve people's needs in beauty that will heal the world.

When people perceive the light, the high and playful energy that my paintings emanate, they start feeling they are back in the fairy-tale world of their childhood, when their soul was open to transformations and miracles, and they feel like Alice in her enchanting wonderland.

From the beginning of her art career, Lark’s art caught the attention of art lovers and gained recognition from art jurors including LA Weekly critic Peter Frank, Santa Monica Museum Art Director Lisa Melandri and MOCA curator Alma Ruiz.

Fusing classical and contemporary art traditions, Lark's award-winning artworks carry her signature gestural brushstrokes and vibrant color palettes. They have been featured in the many prestigious exhibitions, art catalogs and sold globally in France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Russia, Armenia, Canada, Sweden and many other countries. In 2021 - 2025 Lark's art was exhibited in the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and the Shiba City Museum of Art In Japan where Lark got two Gold Awards in the group shows.

In artistic experiments, Lyzuhub has based on the achievements of the artists of the Renaissance era, the guidelines for which he formed during his study at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts. However, Kostiantyn is able to find non-standard solutions and contemporary approaches in his art.

Kostiantyn Lyzohub is a Ukrainian artist based in Kharkiv (Eastern Ukraine). At his works Kostiantyn combines abstract and realistic paintings, while actively using textural possibilities, bringing symbolism and allegory, his philosophical views, compositional techniques, and form to the fore in his art.

Grigor Machanents Babakhanyan is a celebrated figure in Armenia, known for his philanthropy and visionary contributions to the nation's cultural and educational spheres. As the founder of the Cross of Armenia Unity NGO and various institutions like Machanents House, Theatre, Educational Complex, Galleries, and the International Art Symposium, Babakhanyan has played a pivotal role in promoting Armenian heritage and unity.

Machanents Educational Complex stands out for its inclusive approach, offering comprehensive education that emphasizes academic learning, cultural enrichment, and moral development. Notably, the complex includes a special center dedicated to providing free therapy and support for children with autism, reflecting Babakhanyan's commitment to inclusivity and the well-being of all community members. This initiative underlines his understanding of the importance of accessible care and education, ensuring that every child, regardless of their challenges, has the opportunity to thrive.

Babakhanyan's efforts have not only enriched Armenia's cultural landscape but also fostered a more inclusive society. His legacy is a testament to the power of cultural identity and unity in driving societal progress and understanding.

As an abstract artist, my work is a reflection of my innermost emotions and experiences, brought to life through the use of vibrant colors and bold brushstrokes. Art has always been a part of my life, as my father was an artist who taught me to love and live by art from a young age. I have studied art in depth and have participated in many exhibitions, both in my home country of Armenia and in the United States. My inspiration comes from nature, music, poetry, and my own emotions, resulting in a unique expression of my soul on the canvas. Through my art, I strive to create a connection with others and evoke emotions and feelings in those who view my work.

2023 March, Group Exhibition, "Nature Renews", Glendale Art Association, 3rd place award

2023 March, Group Exhibition, "Making Waves", Burbank Art Association

2022 February, Group Exhibition, Art 2 Art Gallery

2022 February, Group Exhibition, Armenian American Art Association

2022 March, "Woman's Mystery" Group Show, Chinar Art Gallery

2019 November, Group Exhibition, Armenian American Art Association

2019 September, Glendale Open Arts and Music Festival

2019 August, Group Exhibition, Armenian American Art Association

2019 April, Group Exhibition, Armenian American Art Association

I like to make pictures that explore the inner life. The physical works are expressions of a life within my life. They are also a way I can connect directly with people through their eyes.

The core of my work is a search for beauty. When I find it, I feel gratitude. This experience of gratitude is, for me, the heart of my worship.

I use a camera and Photoshop, mostly, to find my images these days. I experience them first on a light screen and they evolve there. Some of my pictures are transformations; photos of natural objects that I import into Photoshop and some I build from scratch there.

My pictures are closely connected to music (particularly as they relate to harmony). I vertically stack and blend layers, typically using 10-20 layers

in a piece.

I've also discovered a new way to work. As my pictures evolve, I save history states and create new starting points from them. They are like branches extending from the main trunk. These branches are developed in parallel with the original image. I can move motifs back and forth from one file to another and I finish with a family of pictures with a similar essence.

Three recent families I call "Angels", "Light Chord" and "Light Wave".

There are a number of wonderful tools in Photoshop which allow me to generate waves, morph between rectangular and polar coordinates, build spheres and spirals, etc.

My art is opening into a new world today. I find my inner feelings and visions reflected there.

I made pictures from the time I was the tiniest child my parents tell me. Since a career as an artist wasn't honored much in the 50's in America (the two words most associated with artists at the time were starving and crazy), I studied chemistry as a possible career path.

My love for art unexpectedly reawakened in my sophomore year in college and I knew then that my calling was to the senses, particularly to beauty in art and music.

I studied art at the Art Students League in NY during my vacations and went on to get a Masters Degree in art from the University of Hawaii.

I was briefly a partner in a gallery in Greenwich Village in the 60's and moved from there into a 30 year career, designing home textiles.

In evenings and on weekends I pursued my personal art which evolved from painting into photography and then to the digital dimension.

I license some of my floral and leaf images into posters through Editions Limited.

I live in Badger California in the foothills of the Central Sierra. It is a small community of cattlemen, small farmers, semi-retired world class scientists and spiritual devotees.

It is near a spiritual and educational retreat center called Seven Circles Retreat which I helped establish as a manifestation of my spiritual practice which is called Subud.

I expect to see my little town of Badger develop into a "learning community" for new arts, agriculture and science in the future (a probable impossibility). A community that integrates human life.

I’m an abstract symbolist who works with color, texture, shape and storytelling imagery to convey my wonder and appreciation for this earthly experience we call life. I want to excite the sensibilities, to engulf, saturate. I have many messages but, mostly, my work invites others to address and confront the power of simple beauty, the incunabula, the unknown, rites of passages, epiphanies, rebirth. Transformation is a constant in life and essential to our evolution. Each step we take is sacred and decides the journey. Every breath requires a new commitment to courage. My paintings examine the personas, the bodies, the heavens, dark and mysterious corners, the stopping places and launching pads of the soul. I’m deeply affected by the style of the original artists, the cave painters. Scientists opine they were women. These days my studio features drawings by DaVinci, photos from the Webb telescope and undersea animals. I live in the crossfire of science, art and personal healing.

I am often thoughtful of unity and through-line, I seek to convey a freedom and visceral truth that is unencumbered by any one message or agenda. This allows me to construct each work with a joyful, exploratory energy.

Montealegre’s art education emerged under the tutelage of abstract painter, Robert Kingston.

She is a recipient of the Puffin Foundation Grant for her performance art piece: Portrait of the First Woman.

Montealegre has continued to win prizes for her paintings and her works are featured in several publications.

Montealegre’s recent BELLINGHAM'S WHATCOM MUSEUM presentation of her painting, Heal Thyself! was featured in the Lightcatcher building where Eva performed a joyful song to introduce the curator's presentation.

2015 Eva is included in the prestigious Latina Art Initiative founded by Linda Vallega. She is vetted as one of the best Latin Artists in the country.

2015 Eva Montealegre is named a BEST ARTIST when ARTAVITA chooses the BEST ARTISTS in an international contest.

HIGGS BOSON, PORTRAIT OF THE FIRST WOMAN, the original painting by Eva Montealegre, a 64" x 96" oil on canvas, is featured in FIRST POST to announce the Nobel Prize Award to Peter Higgs for his creation theory explaining the origin of the Universe.

Eva’s painting, MOON ONE, is featured in the art book, ART TAKES TIMES SQUARE. Her figurative painting of a woman titled, CREATIVE CALL, is featured in the art book, WOMEN'S RIGHTS: An Artist’s Perspective sponsored by UniteWomen.Org. Her work has been honored by the City of Los Angeles in calendars and catalogs. She has participated in a number of Los Angeles community events.

2012 Eva's painting of the sun, IT'S ALRIGHT, receives first prize from WOMEN'S CAUCUS FOR ART. That same year Eva's painting DEEP VEIN #3 is presented at MOLAA'S WOMAN FESTIVAL.

I was born in Bulgaria in 1961. My father, a self-taught artist and theatre director, inspired my love of the arts. I studied Landscape Architecture and designed parks, rich in color, flowers, and spaces for recreation and meditation. In 1990, I came to America, married, and received Master’s degrees in Religious Studies and Library and Information Science, studying and preserving South Slavic (Bulgarian) medieval manuscripts. My doctoral study revealed "the secret history" of the Balkans during the Ottoman rule (1393-1878) by studying manuscript marginal notes. After graduation in 2008, I started to re-create and re-interpret Byzantine and South Slavic iconography and manuscript illuminations, and to educate Western audiences about the simple and meaningful illuminations of Slavic scribes by using gold and metallic inks and acrylic paints, embellished by Swarovski crystals. The illuminations reflect the joy of spirituality, emphasizing the themes of the Light within and without and the Tree of Life as major inspiration. Since 2009, "Sacred Illuminations” has participated in 60 juried shows, including 35 juried solo gallery exhibits, and 82 festivals, bazaars, and fairs, in Texas, New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Holland, and Bulgaria. The catalog includes more than 500 titles. "Tree of Life - Holy Spirit" has been published in Christian Century, L-Magazine, Behold. Kamerkoor Kwintesens used my "Tree of Life - Infinity" for its production of Arvo Part's Adam Lament in the Hague, Holland. "Tree of Life - Eyes and Hands" served as a book cover for Peter Traben Haas' Beautiful Prayer.

I was born in Bulgaria in 1961. My father, a self-taught artist and theatre director, inspired my love of the arts. I studied Landscape Architecture and designed parks, rich in color, flowers, and spaces for recreation and meditation. In 1990, I came to America, married, and received Master’s degrees in Religious Studies and Library and Information Science, studying and preserving South Slavic (Bulgarian) medieval manuscripts. My doctoral study revealed "the secret history" of the Balkans during the Ottoman rule (1393-1878) by studying manuscript marginal notes. After graduation in 2008, I started to re-create and re-interpret Byzantine and South Slavic iconography and manuscript illuminations, and to educate Western audiences about the simple and meaningful illuminations of Slavic scribes by using gold and metallic inks and acrylic paints, embellished by Swarovski crystals. The illuminations reflect the joy of spirituality, emphasizing the themes of the Light within and without and the Tree of Life as major inspiration.

Since 2009, "Sacred Illuminations” has participated in 60 juried shows, including 35 juried solo gallery exhibits, and 82 festivals, bazaars, and fairs, in Texas, New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Holland, and Bulgaria. The catalog includes more than 500 titles. "Tree of Life - Holy Spirit" has been published in Christian Century, L-Magazine, Behold. Kamerkoor Kwintesens used my "Tree of Life - Infinity" for its production of Arvo Part's Adam Lament.

The boats that I feature in my work are a symbol of the city's history and its ongoing relationship with the River Thames. They are also a reflection of my own personal journey, having moved to London from Russia.

My work is characterized by bold, vibrant colors and expressive brushstrokes. I strive to create paintings that are both visually striking and emotionally engaging. Each painting is a unique exploration of color, texture, and form, and I am constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials.

As an artist, I am committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional painting techniques and exploring new ways of representing the world around us. My hope is that my paintings will inspire others to see the beauty in the world around them and to appreciate the rich history and culture.

Ekaterina is an artist with extensive experience in various areas of art, including painting, graphics, and ceramics. She graduated from The Saint Petersburg Stieglitz State Academy of Art and Design, which is one of the top art and design universities in Russia.

She has over 25 years of experience as an art practitioner. Her works are represented in the collections of leading museums in Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Slovenia, and other countries. Additionally, there are numerous private collections in Austria and Germany.

Over the past few decades, she has participated in and organized exhibitions, creative symposia, and other international art programs. Ekaterina has won several international art competitions, and she is also a member of the jury and chairman of creative competitions in Europe. Since 2008, she has conducted a private art studio for young artists.

I hope to create work that reveals the organic foundations of humanness.

As a woman, I believe there are always parts of ourselves that carry the innocence and curiosity of a little girl. That energy—the wonder, the fearlessness, the vulnerability—still lives within us.

"Mirror Twins" are characters that many people can see themselves in. I choose not to reveal too much about them—I’d rather let viewers discover their own meaning and stories within the work.

Now more than ever, artists and creatives must stand up for the value of art. Even when the world isn’t ready to hear our voices—especially as some are being censored, edited, or erased—we must keep creating. It’s painfully clear that many of our communities are being silenced and pushed to the margins.

As an artist, cartoonist, creator, and teacher, I’m committed to encouraging others to stand boldly and make art that speaks truth. My own journey is always evolving. Maybe it’s okay that I don’t reveal everything. Maybe my role is more about connection—and keeping a few secrets of my own.

—Cristina Natsuko Paulos

Cristina Natsuko Paulos is an award-winning artist, animator, cartoonist, designer, and educator. She currently teaches commercial arts and digital media at a high school in the Clark County School District, and works as a freelance artist and workshop leader. She also likes to remind people: she’s a good human.

A BFA graduate of the California Institute of the Arts, Paulos’s work blends fine art and illustration, often featuring mirrored or twinned characters, expressive portraiture, and imagery inspired by real life. Her style draws heavily from cartoon aesthetics and deeply personal themes, creating a space where vulnerability, identity, and duality intersect.

Her original animation work has appeared on Sesame Street, and her artwork has been exhibited in prestigious galleries including La Luz de Jesus, Giant Robot, and the Cirque du Soleil Contemporary Art Collection. She has also been featured in two published books: Garden of Eye Candy and La Luz de Jesus 25: The Little Gallery That Could. Her films have screened at festivals in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, and she has collaborated with puppeteers to create toy theatre performances.

Since relocating from the San Fernando Valley to Las Vegas in 2002, Paulos has received multiple grants from the Nevada Arts Council, including two Jackpot Grants, a 2008 Artist Fellowship, and a 2005 Sesame Street Workshop Scholarship.

Paulos works with a wide range of materials—ink, paint, dye, handmade paper, canvas, wood, and mixed media. Her process is rooted in the philosophies of drawing, aiming to expose the raw, often hidden elements of identity.

“My artwork derives from life, juxtaposed with the cartoon world,” she says. “Using drawing philosophies, I try to reveal the marks we often try to erase—the flaws, the discomfort, the quiet parts of ourselves. Whether through cartoons or figures drawn from life, I explore what it means to be fully seen, completely vulnerable—naked, beyond form.”

(thin places) an exploration of the in between or betwixt

Lisa Rasmussen is a painter, art advocate, environmental artist, and educator. She was born in Wisconsin and has her roots in Scandinavia and Ireland. Lisa comes from a working class family, who has always supported her to follow her dreams to become an Artist. Her late Mother, Mickey was Lisa’s Muse, she fostered in her the practice of Art as being a form of expression and personal healing. Early on Lisa developed a thirst for travel and distant cultures. A key conceptual element of her artistic process is the study and travel to ancient cultures and sacred sites around the world. Some of her travel adventures include Nepal, Peru, Ireland, and Brazil. She has also lived and taught English in the mountains of South, China, as well as she had studied antiquities, the Art of the Renaissance, and Ceramics in Florence, Italy.

For her painting is a very visceral, physical, and metaphysical process. Rasmussen’s paintings have been called abstract expressionism, with a spiritual twist. Her paintings reflect her holistic worldview and her deep connection with the natural world. For Rasmussen, art making is a transcendental experience. When she paints, Rasmussen taps into a force greater than herself; a force that creates through her. Each painting is a product of her dance with divinity. Through her process she hopes to invoke in herself and the viewer a deeper connection to the world within and around.

Lisa Rasmussen is an award winning artist and educator. She is the Co-founding Executive Director of the new paradigm, award winning Art 4 All People LLC in Malibu. . She has over 6 years experience working at high-end fine art galleries in Chicago and San Francisco. She has sold original works created by Picasso, Chagall, Rembrandt, Dali, Miro, among others.Lisa is also a professional Transformative Artist and Teacher. Currently her work is being represented at a San Francisco Bay Area Fine Art Gallery. Additionally, Lisa pioneered an award-winning expressive art program for emotionally traumatized and abused youth in Oakland, and developed a professional art gallery for the residents of Lincoln Child Center. She has also taught expressive art to elders, at-risk teens, and has been an art coach to adults. Lisa is also the Co-Director and Co-Founder of the Non-profit Art is Moving and Art Break Day, which is community art reach event offering people the means and the space to bond with their community via the art-making process.

The joy of painting and the pursuit of creative vision are at the core of my artistic practice.

Since early childhood, making art has been inseparable from a sense of wonder—an experience of connecting to something greater than myself. I have long been drawn to the mysterious ways in which art comes into being, as if it possesses a life of its own, capable of guiding both the creator and the viewer. In this process, art has the power to engage, mesmerize, and even transform.

Like Wassily Kandinsky, I believe that art can generate a spiritual and healing atmosphere. Whether consciously or intuitively, the artist may access a higher source, allowing the work to emerge as an expression of inner necessity. Kandinsky described art as a manifestation of the soul, suggesting that “everything which adequately expresses the inner need is beautiful.” This idea continues to resonate deeply within my own practice.

My background as an art historian has further shaped this perspective. Across cultures and historical periods, art has often been linked to ritual, transformation, and shifts in perception—experiences that move beyond the material and temporal toward the infinite and eternal. Ancient philosophical traditions recognized art as a means of transcending ordinary reality, a concept that continues to inform my work.

As an artist, I see the act of creation as sharing affinities with mysticism and the idea of “traveling between worlds.” In this sense, art becomes not only a form of expression but also a process of discovery and connection. It serves as a vital and generative force—one that supports both spiritual exploration and personal well-being.

Tatiana Sizonenko, PhD, is an art historian and a beginner painter. Originally born in Ukraine, educated in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in San Diego, CA, Tatiana currently resides in San Diego. Tatiana teaches history of art at CSUSM, Design Institute of San Diego, and UCSD.

”I am trying to reveal and express the only truth of human existence, which is the perfection of the soul . It reveals itself in the constant movement of rejuvenation. Because it is eternal and is permanent in its communication with the cosmic Truth....My art is bringing into life the images of my soul, traveling through time and space.”

Armenian renowned artist, a bright star of the Armenian avant-garde was born in 1956 in Yerevan, Armenia into the family of one of the renowned 600 year old dynasties, the Tevkantz from the ancient Armenian province of Vaspurakan. It was a dynasty of visual artists and spiritual leaders of Armenian orthodox Christianity. His grandfather was a master teacher of Archil Gorky, one of the geniuses of the world contemporary art.

Indeed, Tevkantz's visual art is the exploration of the human unconscious mind by creating irrational images. His art represents unique spiritual views of the invisible and precious inner world of the human soul. He is free to experiment with visions and memories, shaping them into a variety of fantastic forms. Some of them are compositions of a couple of mystic figures that look like extraterrestrial creatures. He is a master of creating the illusion of a dynamic movement. His figurative world is vibrant and carries a liberating energy.

If you watch the surrealistic art works of the great Armenian artist Ara Tevkantz through that prism you will experience your own transcendent hidden power of connection to your higher self and the Cosmic Source. The artist is experimenting with lines and curves floating in the space of color and shapes as an expression of the inner music of the human soul. It creates the specific, vibrant energy, that the observer of his art can enjoy and relate to unconditionally. That connection is possible because the artist is creating the symbolic world of the human soul, accessible energetically without any restrictions of the material world.

In the US Ara Tevkantz created humongous amounts of works as part of the 21st century avant-garde movement in its variety. Translating his surrealistic art into digital art makes him one of the best contemporary Armenian-American digital artists.

Edward Yashin (1960) is a Ukrainian artist

from Crimea. He graduated from the

Crimean Art School in 1978. Continuing

his education under A. Martynets and V.

Augumentsev, Yashin graduated from the

Kharkiv State Art Academy in Ukraine in 1984.

As a conduit between a viewer and urban

architecture, Edward creates artworks that

masterfully communicate to the audience

a comprehensive and genuine sense of a

city. Largely focused on buildings’ structural elements, Yashin’s pieces follow a common general theme but each of his artworks bears an unquestionable mark of individuality that comes from the author’s ability to offer an entirely new perspective in every piece that he creates.

Art reflects life. Transition, change, surrender, these are what I embrace in my creative expression. A form emerges from a mass of raw stone. There are no mistakes. When a fissure appears or a piece chips off, it becomes an opportunity to embrace a new direction. The properties of each stone emerges telling its own story which can't be denied. It has taught me to let go of perfection and patiently listen and accept. In addition to stone, there is a beauty in working in clay or plaster, creating something from nothing and molding it into a visual image.

My sculpture often encompasses movement and evokes emotion. I like to tell a story. At times, I have used my sculpture to express and embrace powerful events in our outer world that have impacted us within. The female form has always been a favorite subject of mine. With its grace and sensuality, I look for the unfolding of authentic female empowerment.

I consider my sculpture a gift, providing me with a means of expressing my passion for life. I feel totally fulfilled and at one when it is just me and my creation in process. It is my sanctuary, my inner renewal.

Dey Young began sculpting in 1977 at Scripps College in Claremont, California, learning her craft under the tutelage of renowned sculptor, Aldo Casanova. Dey continued to evolve gaining valuable experience from a number of teachers and artists throughout the US. Her vocational drive took her to Italy where she expanded her talents, working in Carrara marble with Italian artisans. Dey's understanding of anatomy is self-taught and she considers it a gift. In 2006, four of Dey's pieces were selected as Los Angeles County Museum's Special Projects and exhibited on the Art and Architecture Tour. This honor was again bestowed in 2012. Her work was also selected by the National Sculpture Society to be featured online in their LOVE exhibition.

Dey Young works in stone, terra cotta, bronze, cement and acrylic and has been enthusiastically received by many fine art galleries including: Galerie Michael, Beverly Hills, Gallery Milmar, Carmel, Ca., Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, Janine Contemporary, Santa Fe,NM, Alexander Salazar Fine Arts Galleries in both San Diego and La Jolla, Ca.; the Mary Titus Gallery, Carmel, Ca. James Gray Gallery and ArtLA at the Bergamot Station Arts Complex in Santa Monica, CA.

Her sensuous forms have been described as "possessing an effortless sense of movement, embodying spirit and emotion and representing a nod to the past as well as an embrace of the future.” Dey is an artist of immense passion and talent and is proud of her creative achievements represented in both the beauty of her sculpted pieces, as well as, her successes on stage and screen.

Alex "Oleksandr" Zinoviev was born on May 30, 1999 in Ukraine. From a young age, he showed an interest in art and began drawing and experimenting with various materials. After completing school, Alex "Oleksandr" Zinoviev enrolled in an art school, where he studied Painting and Floristry. He then went on to study Graphic Design at Zaporizhzhia National University, specializing in graphic design. During his studies, he developed his skills and experimented with various styles and techniques. After graduating, Alex "Oleksandr" Zinoviev began actively exhibiting his works in various galleries and participating in art projects. His works have been recognized and acclaimed by critics and art enthusiasts in Ukraine and Poland. Alex "Oleksandr" Zinoviev specializes in wall painting, canvas painting, and bodiart in the style of "Calligrafiti". He uses various materials, including acrylic, oil, permanent markers, ink, and aerosols. Today, Alex "Oleksandr" Zinoviev continues to create and experiment, producing unique and impressive works of art.

MAGIC OF COLOURS Painter Oleksandr Zinoviev - painter, graphic artist, cartoonist. works in different styles, directions in fine arts and in different techniques. the artist believes that different themes in the art of image according to the plot require both individual vision of the artist and individual expression of the plot in a particular technique, style or material. The main thing believes Zinoviev is not to lie in art, not to adapt, to be true to yourself, then the work will always be alive and interesting to the viewer. The artist loves in his works to play with forms, symbols, color, or expose the essence of the plot of the picture or installation to primitivism. His works has found success in Ukraine, Europe and California.