Second Skins
We live inside layers. Some we slip into like garments, chosen to shield or to adorn. Others form slowly, pressed upon us by time, memory, and circumstance. Some layers protect, some conceal, some weigh heavy, and some allow us to emerge anew. These coverings whether worn, built, or carried deep within become second skins, shaping how we move, how we are seen, and how we come to know ourselves.
Second Skins dwells in the spaces between what is shown and what is hidden, between the outer shell and the inner life. Here, clothing may act as symbol or disguise, yet so too might shelter, ritual, inheritance, or the quiet traces of emotion we carry forward. A second skin might be armor against the world, or a veil of fragility; it may hold memory close or allow us to imagine transformation.
The works in this exhibition invite reflection on embodiment and vulnerability, on protection and revelation. They ask us to consider the boundaries that hold us, the thresholds we pass through, and the textures of our own becoming.
In these layered forms sometimes delicate, sometimes bold we are reminded that to be human is to inhabit many skins at once. To move through the world is to negotiate coverings both visible and unseen, and to discover, again and again, what lies beneath and what remains just beyond reach.
Explore the Collection
CJ Cowden
Benjamin Latham
K. Dewayne Mercer
Ralph Pàquin
Chip Calvin
More About the Works
Whispers of a Light that Blooms
by CJ Cowden
Petals remembering the fields they once loved.
Adam and Eve
by CJ Cowden
Here, Adam and Eve stand as figures unadorned, clothed only in the translucence of light and breath. Their bodies appear suspended in purity, untouched by the weight of shame or concealment. This is the first skin, luminous, unbroken, a covering that is no covering at all. In their presence we glimpse the fragile threshold between innocence and exile, before the inheritance of animal skins and the layering of history. Within the frame of Second Skins, they remind us of a state where body and spirit were seamless, and where the notion of a garment was yet to be born.
Unyielding Shell
by CJ Cowden
This painting explores the tension between protection and transformation. The figure appears suspended in a state of resistance, caught between what is hidden and what is trying to emerge. Layers of color and shifting forms suggest both strength and fragility, reflecting the way our outer shells can shield us while also holding us back. Unyielding Shell invites you to consider the boundaries we carry and the effort it takes to move beyond them.
Phantogram
by CJ Cowden
A silhouette flickers beneath a patterned veil, half-apparition, half-presence. Circles of light scatter across the surface like fabric or membrane, obscuring yet also revealing the form beneath. The figure is not so much clothed as inscribed, etched into the painting like a ghost that both inhabits and haunts its skin.
In the language of Second Skins, this work becomes a meditation on coverings that are spectral rather than material. The dotted overlay reads as both garment and barrier, a screen of perception through which the body is glimpsed but never fully grasped. The title Phantogram, a phantom made mark, underscores this paradox: a presence defined by its own elusiveness, a second skin composed of shadow, light, and memory.
Clothed in Emeralds
by CJ Cowden
To be clothed in emeralds is to be wrapped in the living skin of the earth itself. This figure emerges as though layered in verdure, a garment of leaf and stone, luminous and impenetrable all at once. The green light feels both protective and elusive, a second skin grown out of memory and landscape, shielding while it reveals the quiet pulse beneath. In its depths, we sense the persistence of life, the way nature drapes itself over the body and becomes inseparable from it. Here, the covering is not costume but incarnation, a reminder that what we wear and what we carry are often born of the same root.
Clothed in Sapphires
by CJ Cowden
To be clothed in sapphires is to be wrapped in the cool radiance of twilight and stone. This figure stands as though veiled in the depths of sky and sea, a garment of shadowed blue that gleams with quiet fire. The sapphire light holds both distance and intimacy, a second skin that obscures while it illuminates, guarding what lies beneath even as it draws us closer. In its facets of blue we sense the weight of mystery, the way the unseen weaves itself upon the visible. Here, the covering becomes transformation itself, turning body into apparition, presence into reflection.
The Shadow of Raiment
by CJ Cowden
The figure stands in silhouette, yet she is not bare. Scraped veils of blue and dark pigment sweep across her form, layering over absence as though shadow itself were cloth. This is raiment in its older, poetic sense not simply clothing, but the soul’s outward garment, the visible trace of what lies within.
Here, the shadow becomes its own attire, a covering woven of silence and pigment. The scraped blues feel like tattered threads unraveling, hinting at both fragility and endurance. To call it the shadow of raiment is to suggest that even darkness wears its dressings, and that the body is never unclothed, only wrapped in unseen vestures of memory, time, and concealment.
The Shadow of Vesture
by CJ Cowden
Vesture a word once used by poets and preachers to signify coverings of dignity, sanctity, or transience echoes here in paint. The silhouette is draped not in fabric but in scraped cascades of blue, paint pulled like tattered threads across the form. This vesture is not stitched but struck into being, pigment layered upon absence until the shadow itself becomes a robe.
To name this figure the shadow of vesture is to dwell on paradox: a garment that is both there and not there, formed of shadow, scraped into existence. It recalls the metaphysical conceit the soul robed in what cannot be touched, clothed in what only the eye can see.
Ruler of the Night
by CJ Cowden
Ruler of the Night is a silhouette cloaked in lunar radiance, a figure whose very skin seems wrought from moonlight and shadow. She appears both spectral and sovereign, as though the celestial body itself has taken human form. This second skin is neither fabric nor stone but the silver veil of the night sky, shifting between presence and absence, substance and reflection. She is at once untouchable and intimate, her contours echoing the eternal rhythm of light against darkness. To behold her is to stand at the threshold where the human body becomes cosmic vessel, clothed in the mysteries of the moon, veiled in the dominion of night.
Nebulous
by Ralph Pàquin
Nebulous is part of a newer group of sculptures that is part of the “Ethereal Origins” series. It attempts to sculpturally and conceptually connect biomorphic primordial forms to those that are more celestial in nature.
Ultra Gene
by Ralph Pàquin
Ultra Gene is a playfully animated sculpture that is part of an ongoing sculptural series entitled Genes and Chromosomes
Morpheus
by Ralph Pàquin
Morpheus, who’s Greek name means “god of dreams” is
part an ongoing sculptural series entitled: Genes and Chromosomes. This series consists of meticulously fabricated organomorphic forms. They are anecdotal considerations of the human enigma and its physical and spiritual connections to more primordial forms of life. As with many things, there are secondary concepts lie beneath the surface, stemming from a cocktail of diverse interests, including: composed sound- forms, philosophy, faith, cosmology, and biotechnology.
PsychoKnotic
by Ralph Pàquin
PsychoKnotic is part of the sculptural series entitled: Genes and Chromosomes which consist of meticulously fabricated organomorphic forms. They are anecdotal considerations of the human enigma and its physical and spiritual connections to more primordial forms of life. As with many things, there are secondary concepts lie beneath the surface, stemming from a cocktail of diverse interests, including: composed sound, philosophy, faith, cosmology, and biotechnology.
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Line of Thought
Gaze
by K. Dewayne Mercer
by K. Dewayne Mercer
These abstract portraits are a part of my “Lines of Being” series. Each portrait distills the human face to its essential gestures - arched brows, tilted gazes, and the faint suggestion of a smile or sigh. They hover between intimacy, and anonymity, drawing the viewer into a moment of quiet reflection. The bold use of color - whether in the flush of a cheek, the tension of a line or the vibrancy of a background- becomes the emotional architecture of the work.
Together these paintings embody my fascination with how the simplest marks can carry the weight of memory, emotion and presence. Both playful and contemplative, they invite us to see not just a face, but the echo of our own shifting states of being.
More About Our Artists
CJ Cowden
Artist Statment and Bio
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.
Artist Bio
Artist Statement
Benjamin Latham (b. 1994) is a self-taught painter based between Portland, Oregon and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Rooted in the American South, his work draws from the mystique of desert landscapes, honky-tonk lore, and the evolving cultural identity of the Southwest. Influenced by everything from Laurel Canyon’s free spirit to the grit of West Texas dive bars, Benjamin paints scenes that feel both timeless and timely, equal parts cosmic and grounded.
His work is being exhibited in Santa Monica, New York, and Colorado.
I make layered paintings rooted in the South and Southwest. Using oil, oil stick, and pastel, I build surfaces through thick layers, scraping, and repainting so the image holds both the scene and the record of how it was made. The work pulls from country music, regional folklore, roadside markers, and landscapes under pressure. I’m drawn to figures and motifs that read plainly at first and become less certain the longer you look. The goal isn’t to resolve that tension, but to let beauty and unease share the frame.
Benjamin Latham
K. Dewayne Mercer
Artist Statement and Bio
K.Dewayne Mercer is a self-taught artist working primarily in oil and cold wax medium, known for his richly layered abstract compositions and a striking series of figurative abstract portraiture. With an education in architecture and over 30 years as a professional hairstylist, Mercer brings a finely tuned sense of compositional design, proportion, and color harmony to his work—skills honed through decades of shaping personal style.
His abstract paintings are inspired by the beauty of weathered walls, aged doors, and the layered patinas of historic cities. Using squeegees, brayers, and his own hands, Mercer builds textured surfaces that invite the viewer to explore both visually and tactilely. Earthy, subdued neutrals meet bursts of vivid chromatic color, while bold lines and marks create movement and connection within each piece.
Whether in his abstract expressionism and color fields or his figurative abstract portraiture, Mercer’s work captures the imperfect, layered nature of human experience—complex, flawed, and deeply beautiful. He lives and works in Slaughter, Louisiana, creating art that invites pause, reflection, and a sense of joy in discovery.
Ralph Pàquin
Artist Statment and Bio
From an early age, I was captivated by the intricacies of human biology and genetics—an initial curiosity that evolved into a broader investigation of human origin and consciousness. This exploration has expanded to include cosmology, archeology, mysticism, and belief systems. These fields, combined with lived experience, form a kind of visual encyclopedia that fuels my creative output.
My work draws from observation, imagination, and experimentation. Mysticism and natural phenomena influence my abstracted forms, while humor often shapes layered metaphors. Whether rooted in complex concepts or intuitive impulses, my approach is intentional, dimensional, and rigorously crafted.
I work with a wide range of materials and techniques, from spontaneous “free form” sculpting to intricate, multi-step cold casting. Each sculpture is fabricated using traditional and contemporary methods, with materials selected for their durability, flexibility, and expressive potential.
My artworks serve as philosophical vessels—bridging the tangible and the cosmic, the seen and the unseen. They invite viewers to reflect on the mysteries of existence, the intersections of art and science, and the invisible structures that shape our reality.