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Gallery Artists

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CJ's artistic journey is a testament to the transformative power of creativity in the face of adversity. Born into the whirlwind world of a

traveling evangelist, she spent her formative years on the road, bearing witness to the fervor and devotion of her parents' mission. After her parents passing at age 10, CJ navigated her new life in foster care with art as it allowed her to express her depth of emotions. Today, CJ stands as a testament to resilience and the enduring human spirit. She has transcended her humble beginnings to become a gallery owner, a curator of dreams, and an artist of international acclaim. CJ's journey from troubling childhood to a globally recognized artist and gallery owner reminds us that even in the darkest of circumstances, creativity has the power to heal and transform lives.

CJ Cowden

Founder, Director, Artist

Abstract Painter

American

Guest Artists

Primordium Exhibition

Biography

Based in Providence, Rhode Island, Elizabeth Peña-Alvarez is a sculptor working primarily with clay. She has an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design as well as an MFA in Artisanry from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her work is exhibited nationally. She has participated in several residencies including the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts, Penland School for Craft, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and most recently, the Hambidge Center in Georgia. Born of Ecuadorian heritage in Miami, Florida, the city's abundant and varied vegetation has had a lasting impact and continues to drive her studio work.

Statement

I explore Post-Traumatic Growth through the interplay of dichotomous themes such as light and darkness, life and loss, and growth and destruction. Rooted in the theory of positive transformation, Post-Traumatic Growth reframes life’s most profound challenges—like the death of a child or a cancer diagnosis—into opportunities for beauty and light. My visual language draws from the natural world, incorporating elements of human anatomy and vegetation. These influences converge in my biomorphic sculptures, where meticulously detailed hybrid forms of botanical and anatomical elements evoke transformation and transcendent growth.

Elizabeth Pena-Alvarez

Photo by Elizabeth Peña-Alvarez

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Photo by Tom O'Malley

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Sonya Sklaroff

Biography

Sonya Sklaroff lives and works in New York City. Her paintings have been exhibited worldwide and are part of prestigious public and private collections, including the Phillips Museum of Art, the Consul General of France, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Clarins USA, Fannie Mae, the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Department of State, and the Cahoon Museum of Art. Sklaroff earned her BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and her MFA from Parsons School of Design. She has participated in numerous artist residencies, including the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Ragdale Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Santa Fe Art Institute, and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s World Views Project, where she had a studio on the 91st floor of Tower One of the World Trade Center.

In 2020, she was awarded the prestigious Anonymous Was a Woman grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Her publications include “Sonya Sklaroff” (2014) with an introduction by Harlan Coben, “Pandemic Paintings” (2021) with a preface by Rachael Ray, “A Love Letter to New York City” (2022), and “Escape to the Garden” (2024), featuring over 70 garden and flower paintings completed during her travels. Sklaroff’s significant solo exhibitions include “Secrets of New York” at The Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel in 2023, accompanied by a catalog with a foreword by theoretical physicist and best-selling author Lisa Randall, and “NoHo Art Nexus: Outside In” in 2024, which transformed her NoHo neighborhood into a vast personal art gallery with 19 different locations exhibiting her works.

Additionally, Sklaroff was commissioned by The Lambs, America’s oldest professional theatrical club on 5th Avenue, to paint a portrait of the club’s first female member, making her the first female artist to receive such an honor at the club.

Statement

Making art is my purpose. More than just what I do, art is a big part of who I am. Painting is how I express my true self, the authentic me.

Sometimes people ask how I find inspiration. I don’t. Inspiration finds me. I can wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and find that it is inspiration looking back at me, as somehow the face reflected just doesn’t feel familiar and I paint it to capture that unnerving feeling. Months into the pandemic I came across my neighbor who hadn’t shaved since the lockdown began – the portrait begged to be painted. Trapped in my apartment with the city shut down, I daydreamed of going dancing. So ballroom dancing on a twilit rooftop emerged on my canvas.

I often roam the city with my sketchbook and watercolor set, searching for something to catch my eye. Lately, I’ve been intrigued by the "in between" moments—small glimpses of life that happen when you least expect them. It’s like peering through an iron gate into an urban garden and witnessing an intimate conversation, or glancing up at a lit window in the evening to see someone reading by lamplight, and wondering about their life. I often use these sketches and on-site watercolor paintings as inspiration for my larger oil on canvas works in my studio.

How fortunate I am to know, without question, my role in this world. How grateful I am to find so many people who relate to the stories I tell through my work. How lucky I am that my art allows me to draw creativity from the world around us in times both good and bad.

Flourish: Nature versus Nature Exhibition

Statement

Aura Lewis is an artist and author renowned for her feminist, historical, and politically-themed works. Aura’s work has been exhibited internationally and is featured in books for children and adults, on television, film, stationery, ad campaigns, branding, murals, and editorial publications. Her publishers include Harper Collins, Hachette, Abrams, Simon & Schuster, and beyond, with illustration clients that include Macy’s, Hallmark, Disney, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. Inspired by women’s history, fashion, social activism and culture from around the world, Aura holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.

Aura Lewis

Chloe McEldowney

Statement

Chloe McEldowney makes vibrant oil paintings unifying fragments of gardens, memories, and sentiments in unique color palettes, while reflecting on her roles as painter and mother. Her expressive style draws from a decade-long art career spent painting live portraits, teaching printmaking and painting workshops, and working in galleries.

Chloe received her BFA in 2014 from the University of Dayton, where she was awarded the Excellence in Visual Arts Award by the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio. She was also selected as a Dorothy & Bill Yeck College Artist Fellow through the Dayton Art Institute.

After graduating, she moved to various US cities, enjoying residencies and teaching opportunities. She was an intern at the Napa Valley Museum, a resident teaching artist at Prairie Center of the arts in Illinois, and resident artist at Access Arts in Missouri. In 2018, Chloe relocated to Wilmington, Delaware where she was awarded an Artist Fellowship through the Delaware Division of the Arts.

Chloe’s works have been included in exhibitions, galleries, and museums across the US, from Harman Projects in NYC, to Arc Gallery in San Francisco. She’s exhibited her paintings at The Biggs Museum of American Art, Superfine Art Fair, The Dayton Art Institute, The Peoria Riverfront Museum, Anne Irwin Fine Art, Jen Tough Gallery, The Delaware Contemporary, Paradigm Gallery, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, and many more.

Her artistic journey has been highlighted in various publications including Create Magazine, New Visionary Magazine, Clover + Bee Magazine, and others. In 2022, she created work for the book cover of Daughter of Man a book of poetry by author LJ Sysko. She currently resides in Columbus, OH, where she paints in her plant filled studio.

Denise Jill Marshall

On View: March 04 – 15

Statement

Denise’s interest in photography began in childhood and grew into a passion that she later pursued professionally after graduating with a degree in Narrative Documentary Editorial Photography. Over the years, Denise shot thousands of rolls of film, photographing everything from landscapes to portraits, with a few events thrown in to keep things interesting.

After a 40 year career in photography, Denise’s journey into photographic weavings began in November 2020 during an abstract photography class. For her final assignment in the course, she needed to shoot six new photos for her final presentation. The day of her shoot was beautiful, with clear blue skies and perfect weather for the work she intended to capture. Reflecting on past critiques, the word “linear” stood out, prompting her to reevaluate her approach. She began cutting her work into strips, a painful process that challenged her attachment to her creations but sparked a transformative realization.

After the cutting was done, she began arranging the pieces on her desk, playing with the spacing, order, and layout.

Then it hit her: in a moment of inspiration, she began weaving the two photos together. The process was a labor of love, but after she was done, she stepped back and realized she was onto something.

For the rest of the days leading up to the presentation, she created five more pieces of woven photography, combining work she had photographed over her many years as a photographer to create a tapestry of color, shape, and texture. As she began sharing the work with both the class and close friends, she realized that what she had created was something truly special—a new type of art that she would spend the rest of her life creating.

Since then, Denise has shown her work in numerous galleries across the world, winning awards and fans everywhere her work is shown. Today, Denise is a full-time artist, selling her work to eager collectors looking to bring a new perspective in photographic abstraction to their collections.

CJ Cowden

On View: March 18 – 29

Statement

As a mixed media artist, CJ explores the boundaries of form, texture, and color through abstract compositions. CJ’s work is a dialogue between spontaneity and intention, where different materials and techniques come together to create layered, dynamic pieces. CJ aims to evoke emotion and provoke thought, encouraging viewers to find their own connections and interpretations within the abstract forms. Through this process, CJ seeks to capture the essence of creativity—unpredictable, complex, and endlessly evolving.

CJ's artistic journey is a testament to the transformative power of creativity in the face of adversity. Born into the whirlwind world of a traveling evangelist, she spent her formative years on the road, bearing witness to the fervor and devotion of her.

parents' mission. After her parents passing at age 10, CJ navigated her new life in foster care with art as it allowed her to express her depth of emotions. Today, CJ stands as a testament to resilience and the enduring human spirit. She has transcended her humble beginnings to become a gallery owner, a curator of dreams, and an artist of international acclaim. CJ's journey from troubling childhood to a globally recognized artist and gallery owner reminds us that even in the darkest of circumstances, creativity has the power to heal and transform lives

Mapping Scars: Traces of Healing

CJ Cowden

Statement

CJ's artistic journey is a testament to the transformative power of creativity in the face of adversity. Born into the whirlwind world of a traveling evangelist, she spent her formative years on the road, bearing witness to the fervor and devotion of her

Laura Cleary Williams

Statement

My work explores the fragile spaces between things—light, shadows, memory, and trauma—capturing the subtle gestures of the world that often go unnoticed. Through intuitive mark-making and layering, I trace the invisible patterns of nature and the self, reflecting on the delicate tension between chaos and order, loss and recovery. Born from my own experiences of memory loss and trauma, my practice uses materials like graphite, ink, and transparent surfaces to map the passage of time, the fading of memories, and the scars that shape us. My art is a process of reclaiming lost fragments of self and an invitation for others to find connection through shared vulnerability, exploring the beauty and meaning found in the spaces between what we remember and what we forget.

Jai Gervin

On View: April 01 – 12

Statement

I am a “creative visionary” with the soul of an artist & the heart of a Social Worker.

I was born, raised, and still live in Johnson City, TN. I believe that this small, typically conservative, town forced me to find alternative creative outlets even as a child. As I grew up, my artistic nature was not valued in my family, so I didn’t tap in to my creative side for many years. During the pandemic I began to desire to create again, this time as an adult with no rules or lines to color within. I find the most joy working with mixed media by combining ordinary things with other mediums that don’t traditionally “fit” together; much like myself. I have found great joy and healing via this avenue and am excited to be able to share it with folks that appreciate it and find their own joy through my lens.

I am also available to create commissioned pieces that fit within my genre.

Katie Hoffmeier

On View: April 15 – 26

Statement

I am a self-taught painter with an atypical approach. A little too analytical to fit in the creative camp and too creative to fit in with the analyst crew. I fit somewhere in between. I think of creating as more than just putting brush to canvas. Discovery and exploration are as much a part of my work as paint and brush. The result is a process that builds on experience, both successes and failures.

We moved all over the place when I was a kid. As a result of my constantly changing environment, I learned some truly invaluable skills: How to scavenge for what I needed, substitute for what I lacked, how to quickly build lasting connections with people and places, and so much more.

The mentality of “MAKE SOMETHING WORK” heavily informs my work. I do not limit myself to traditional methods, tools, or materials as long as the archival quality of the work is not compromised. The freedom to stray from the norm and the expectations of yourself and others is exhilarating and motivating. You never know what discovery is right around the corner.

I seek out stark contrast and delicate blends within the forms and the work as a whole. It is incredible to me how different a color can look depending on what it is placed next to. Finding the right placement for your elements can take you from bland to blam, just like that!

The placement of the elements in my works is a lot of trail and error. I do not balance my work based on a formula or some random computer-generated pattern. Sometimes it is as simple as me closing my eyes and “free-drawing shapes” other times it is pen and paper, I’ve even recently used Microsoft Paint to get the layout right. I’ll use whatever it takes to achieve the balance only my subconscious could describe. I don’t know what “it’ is, but I definitely know what “it” isn’t.

SEA Online Artists

2024 Online Exhibitions

Mind of an Artist

John Affolterr

Richard Allen

Amita Aung-Thwin

Gretchen Beck

Kelley and Gavin Brodin

Thomas Crawford

Julia Flit

Jai Gervin

Dave Hanson

Ronald Katz

Bette Kauffman

Camille Kouyoumdjian

Roe LiBretto

Todd Monjar

Seamus O'Rourke

Brigitte Radecki

Jamie Rix

Petra Schutte

Alena Sokolova

Roseanne Swider

Eish Verma

Yuchen Wang

Memories of my Journeys

John Calabrese

Amimie Dukes

Susanne Grosswiler

Meredith Moles

Jennifer Ogeden

Denise Richards

Robert Riojas III

Jesus Sanchez

Jim Slavik

Merima Smajlovic

Andrea G. Snyder

C.J. Swanson

Margery Thomasmueller

2025 Online Exhibitions

Unearthing

John Calabrese

Erica Frisk

Katherine Filice

Jai Gervin

Rachel Heibel

David Jacobs

Taerim Kim

Hunter Mestman

Meredith Olinger

Elise Racine

John Ralston V

Yelena Safronova

Benjamin Sears

Ira Upin

Jing (Ellen) Xu

Refracted Worlds

Bethany Altschwager

Shane Armstrong

Jonathan Bolt

Marcel Ceuppens

Brian Hallas

Pooja Lalwani

Gallery Artists

Guest Artists

Primordium Exhibition

SEA Online Artists

2024 Online Exhibitions

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