Members Interview
Discover the inspiration behind The Beauty of Still Life, Women in Arts Network's latest virtual exhibition. Explore the history, symbolism, and contemporary relevance of still life, meet the artists who shaped the genre, and learn how you can share your own interpretation through this international exhibition.
Diana Strandin creates surreal collages that deconstruct the human figure and rebuild it through unexpected combinations of flowers, plants, photographs, and fragmented imagery. With a background in fine art, sculpture, and photography, Diana found collage offered the freedom to bring images from completely different contexts together and create new visual realities. Her work explores the connection between humans and nature while embracing contrasts between strength and fragility, attraction and repulsion, and the familiar and uncanny. Working with magazine cutouts and paper, she rearranges existing imagery into compositions where bodies merge with…
Every artist grows not only through practice but through the ideas that shape their creative journey. From building confidence and overcoming creative blocks to learning how to observe more deeply and share your work with the world, these five timeless books have inspired generations of artists. Whether you're just beginning or refining an established practice, these essential reads offer lasting lessons for every stage of your artistic career.
Elena Sparke creates contemporary textile books and sculptural artworks that bring together antique fabrics, natural fibres, handmade paper, and traditional book forms to explore memory, language, and cultural heritage. Although her formal art practice began only seven years ago, a lifelong connection to literature, textiles, and craft traditions has shaped the thoughtful, multidisciplinary work she creates today. Working with handwoven linen, hemp, botanical dyes, hand stitching, handmade books, and found materials, Elena treats cloth as a language capable of communicating stories beyond words. Nature quietly informs every stage of her process,…
Your portfolio can open doors—or quietly close them before anyone sees your work in person. Discover five common portfolio mistakes that may be costing artists exhibitions, grants, residencies, and other opportunities, along with practical tips to create a stronger, more compelling presentation of your artistic practice.
Discover the inspiring artistic journey of Poppy Field, whose thoughtful paintings capture beauty, memory, and everyday moments. Explore her creative process, influences, and the story behind her evolving artistic practice.
Discover The Beauty of Still Life, the latest Women in Arts Network virtual exhibition. Explore the inspiration behind this month's thoughtfully chosen theme, learn why still life continues to captivate artists, and find out how you can share your unique perspective in this international open call.
Emma Eyre creates vivid botanical paintings inspired by the accidental compositions of plants she discovers on forest floors and along rural pathways in Sweden. Originally from Honolulu and now living in the Swedish countryside, she has built a creative life around teaching, raising a family, growing food, spending time in nature, and maintaining a consistent painting practice. Her recent On the Ground series begins with photographs of overlooked plants, nettles, reeds, thistles, and leaves before developing through translucent ink washes and layers of opaque oil paint. Rather than recreating nature photographically,…
Discover five controversial paintings by women artists that challenged artistic conventions and reshaped the history of art. From Artemisia Gentileschi to Frida Kahlo and Dana Schutz, explore the stories behind the works that sparked debate and continue to inspire conversations today.
Erin Bell creates oil paintings inspired by the mountains, forests, lakes, open skies, and changing weather she has experienced while living and travelling across Canada. Her relationship with landscape is deeply personal, shaped by years of moving, searching for belonging, and finding moments of quiet and clarity in nature. After returning to painting more seriously during a difficult period in her life, Erin began using the easel as a place to slow down and reconnect with what she was feeling. Working primarily in oils, she uses brushes and palette knives to…