The
Unveiling Within
May 27 – June 28
Artists: ​​
​
CJ Cowden — Elizabeth Knowles — Marita Ferro —Ralph Paquin
As we move through the world, we often imagine ourselves as complete our identities fixed, our emotions cataloged, and our dreams well defined. Yet, with each moment of introspection, a new layer of the self is revealed like a hidden room in a familiar house, untouched and undiscovered. The Unveiling Within is a journey into these uncharted territories of the soul, exploring the fragments of ourselves that emerge only when we dare to look inward.
This collection features works that embody the visceral experience of self-discovery: abstract forms that peel back emotional layers, surreal works that hint at memories long buried, and symbolic compositions that reflect the duality of revelation and concealment. Through painting, sculpture, and mixed media, each artist invites viewers to confront their own inner landscapes, questioning what lies beyond the surface and what stories are waiting to be unearthed.
​
In The Unveiling Within, the act of discovery becomes a form of creation, where the observer and the observed merge, and where introspection serves as both muse and masterpiece. Step inside and witness the art of becoming.
Explore the Collection
CJ Cowden
Elizabeth Knowles
Marita Ferro
Ralph Paquin
Chip Calvin
More About the Works
Chromatic Rhythms
In Chromatic Rhythms, color takes on the role of both storyteller and pulse, guiding the viewer through waves of emotion and states of being. The composition is a symphony of hues and forms that move in tandem, like the heartbeat of introspection. Each layer of paint interacts with the next, creating a textured landscape where color is not static but vibrantly alive an evolving dialogue that mimics the rhythm of thought and self-discovery.
​
Color Dancer
Color Dancer is a celebration of movement and spontaneity, captured through a symphony of bold, fragmented hues that weave across the canvas in an almost rhythmic cadence. The abstract color-blocking style creates a sense of fragmented motion like flashes of movement caught in staccato bursts, hinting at the graceful arc of a body in dance. Shapes collide and intersect, evoking limbs mid-motion, a twirl of fabric, or the sweep of an arm, all emerging from the abstract interplay of form and color.
Just a Peek I and Just a Peek II
Just a Peek is an invitation to witness what lies beneath the surface, offering only glimpses through three circular portals that disrupt the otherwise opaque expanse. Like keyholes to another reality, these orbs reveal fragments of the abstract world hidden beneath the surface layer, hinting at complexity and depth that remain mostly obscured. It is a play on revelation and concealment a visual metaphor for the guarded nature of self-awareness.
Whispers of a Light that Blooms
Petals remembering the fields they once loved.
Threads That Mend Stones
Silver leaf winds delicately across the surface shimmering seams that glint like moonlight on water. They do not conceal the fracture; they honor it, mending with beauty instead of erasure. Beside them lie stones painted in deep, hues of blue and green representing sapphires, rich with shadow and depth. The composition hums with tension and tenderness: a quiet dialogue between breakage and healing, weight and light, silence and gleam. This is a piece about restoration—not by force, but by grace. In the Kintsugi style.
Kindling Light in Another
Two colored busts in profile face one another suspended in contrast, one set against a black backdrop, the other against white. Kindling Light in Another captures the quiet resonance between distinct selves: a moment of reflection, recognition, and shared intensity.
The Fire Within I and The Fire Within II
The Fire Within is a vivid exploration of inner strength, passion, and the unyielding spirit that resides within us all. Rendered in bold strokes of crimson, gold, and cobalt, the figure emerges like a flame against the textured canvas an embodiment of self-discovery and transformation. Her form, unapologetically raw and powerful, stands as a testament to the act of becoming, of shedding layers to reveal the essence that lies beneath.
Stalagmite
This sculpture draws inspiration from the geological patterns of Earth’s cavernous landscapes. Each organic shape is self- contained, adorned with patterns that reference phenomena ranging from crystal growth to galaxy formation. Each shape successively builds upon another stacking up in columnar formation.
White Corals
This crochet sculpture is inspired by the white corals found in reefs around the world corals that are still alive, but under stress. When ocean temperatures rise, corals lose the tiny algae that give them color and energy. What’s left is a pale, ghost-like form: still beautiful, but fragile and struggling.
Through soft yarn and slow, careful stitching, this piece reflects that delicate state. The white threads don’t represent death, but a pause a moment in which the coral is waiting, holding on, hoping for balance to return.
​
​The sculpture doesn’t try to recreate the bright colors of healthy reefs. Instead, it draws attention to the quiet beauty that remains even when the color is gone.
​
It’s a way of showing respect for these living structures, and of raising awareness about the ecological changes happening underwater.
By bringing coral forms into the physical world into something we can touch and see up close, this piece invites people to connect with the ocean in a more personal way. It’s a gentle reminder that even the most delicate parts of nature matter, and that their survival depends on our attention and care.
Violet on Red Gene Column
White on Off Gene Column
Turquoise Gene Column
Erythristic Gene Column
Gene Columns:
The molecular level of how our bodies process information and energy is fantastic and other worldly. This series of contemporary abstract sculpture was playfully brought about with this very new biomechanical knowledge.
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.
Elizabeth Knowles
Artist Statment and Bio
Natural patterns inspire my work. Some are biological patterns on the cellular level of organisms. Others are geological patterns of the earth’s natural landscapes. Exploring similar patterns that recur progressively on differing scales, my work connects landscapes and life forms, physiology and physics, death and detritus, dark and light, growth and form.
Starting with the most simple and building to the more complex, my creative process becomes a recreation of the interaction of different levels of life. One basic component connects with another and another until a whole is created. Akin to a cell grouping together with other cells to form a more intricate organism, the work recalls the unfolding of life as patterns expand back into each other and into themselves.
By layering clear pools of acrylic polymers with textural applications of acrylic paints and gels I experiment with a variety of textures and effects reminiscent of the fluid qualities of the microscopic world. Ranging from atomistic to larger organizational systems, the work reveals the multifaceted interface between the various levels of life and the mysterious connection between them.
Marita
Ferro
Artist Statment and Bio
Marita Setas Ferro is a portuguese creator in several areas: Sculpture, fashion, crafts and she likes to combine them in new and impactful approaches. Focused on Fine Craft with a desire to combine crafts with design and art, she has always developed unique and distinct projects that combine different aspects in which the artistic perspective, the connection to crafts and the need to surprise has always been a constant.
She believes in the power of the collective and in teamwork, is an entrepreneur and therefore has founded and belonged to several non-profit associations. Enjoy imparting knowledge and creating projects that can impact people’s lives, both artistically and in terms of design and fine craft. She has great organizational and coordination skills, both in terms of resources and teams, working on project creation, coordination and execution - workshops, exchanges, exhibitions, conferences, fashion shows.
Ability to articulate and create complementaries in different matters such as artistic creation, management, creativity and commercial spirit.
Excellent communication skills, team coordination and group management. A specialist in sustainability, she has been called upon to train professionals, as well as invited to participate in national and international specialized panels in the area of footwear and fashion design, due to her integrating perspective of sustainability in eco design, as a preponderant and fundamental for the future.
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.