Members Interview
This feature brings together five women whose mosaic practices have been shaped by patience, material knowledge and years of steady work. Each of them builds with fragments, yet the results are strikingly different one artist shaping quiet, atmospheric surfaces, another working with discarded crockery, another turning stained glass into scenes drawn from mid-century comics, and others following the movement of light or the slow rhythm of stone and marble. Together they show how mosaic continues to grow through thoughtful hands and attentive watching. Their stories offer a close look at how…
Ever notice how two artists can have equally strong work, yet one portfolio instantly feels more compelling? That difference often comes down to order, the quiet science behind how you arrange your pieces. A strong portfolio isn’t just a pile of your best work; it’s a story told in the right rhythm. The way your pieces flow affects how curators, jurors, and collectors experience your art before they even read a single word about you. Think of your portfolio like a playlist. You wouldn’t open with your loudest song, follow it…
Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) was a German-American painter best known for his sweeping, luminous landscapes of the American West. He was part of the Hudson River School tradition, but his work often goes even grander, with panoramic mountain scenes, dramatic skies, and a kind of romantic awe. Born in Solingen, Prussia, Bierstadt moved with his family to New Bedford, Massachusetts, when he was very young. In his early career, he returned to Europe to study painting in Düsseldorf, where he trained under artists linked to the Düsseldorf School. His real turning point…
Building a career in the arts has a funny way of teaching you something no one mentions early on, community does not automatically equal access. You can be surrounded by supportive people who genuinely love your work, cheer for every win, and still feel like you are standing outside the doors where real decisions happen. That gap can feel confusing until you realize that access works differently than popularity. A lot of artists collect contacts the way people collect pretty notebooks, nice to have, but not actually used for anything meaningful.…
Spend a moment with Texas painter and teacher Lesa Shaw as she talks about how a sketch on her phone, a few color notes, and a curious mindset become paintings filled with life and imagination. In this interview, she shares how she balances planning with instinct, why she enjoys switching between oil, acrylic, and alcohol ink, and how her students keep her thinking fresh.
Michele Leung bridges the structured worlds of engineering and finance with the expressive depth of oil painting, transforming discipline into creativity. Her work balances precision and emotion, building compositions with patience, intentionality, and layered brushwork that captures the quiet strength of her subjects. Pieces like The Unyielding Gaze reveal resilience that is internal and reflective, not performative. In her Hong Kong studio, classical music guides her process, helping her surrender to the rhythm of creation and focus deeply on each layer. Michele’s practice has taught her that meaning unfolds slowly, that…
Some careers burn bright and fade fast, while others last decade after decade. Talent, luck, and connections matter, of course, but there’s something quieter that makes the difference: emotional strategy. Knowing how to navigate your feelings, protect your energy, and respond thoughtfully to challenges shapes not just your work, but your entire career. Emotions rarely get framed as professional tools, yet they affect every decision, every interaction, and every reputation you build over time. People who last in their fields notice patterns in their reactions, understand what drains them, and develop…
Burnout doesn’t always happen because you’re overloaded with work. More often, it builds quietly when you don’t have a system to hold your creative flow together. You jump from project to project, say yes to new ideas, and keep pushing through late nights because that’s what creative drive looks like, right? But over time, the energy that once felt limitless starts to fade. What used to be exciting now feels like another box to check. That’s when you realize it’s not the work that’s the problem, it’s the lack of structure…
Walk into M. E. Klesse’s studio in Rockport, Texas, and you step into a space filled with warm wax in the air, stacked supplies, and pieces in mid-creation. Sculptures hang above, canvases rest side by side, and every surface seems ready for the next layer or idea. As we talk with her, she shares how she works in long, quiet stretches, why she often brings pieces into other rooms to see them differently, and how she listens to emotion and instinct as much as to tools and materials. It feels like…
They say not every door is meant to be knocked on, and that’s especially true in the art world. The gallery system can look like a ladder, but it’s more like a network of rooms , each with its own energy, audience, and expectations. Knowing which one to step into at your current stage isn’t just strategy, it’s self-awareness. Many artists waste years chasing galleries that don’t align with where they are yet. They send portfolios to top-tier spaces that only work with established names, or they settle for venues that…