Blog
Echoes of Emotion
10 . 28 . 2024
These four exceptional artists that you can meet and shop from at the upcoming Holiday Show, believe that art has a unique power to evoke and embody emotions. With this in mind, they create artwork that resonates with people on a personal level, transforming the intangible into something beautifully visible and relatable.
While living in Tanzania and traveling across Africa, watching animals and wildlife in their true natural habitats, Vandana Jain's creative spark was reinvigorated. Her experience instilled a deep appreciation for the beauty of life and nature. Her photos taken there years ago continue to inspire her today.
Tell us about your work.
Vandana: My work draws from nature, blending realism with abstract elements to capture its vibrancy and serenity. Each piece evolves organically, combining vivid hues, rich textures, and subtle embellishments that invite the viewer to experience the beauty of the natural world in a fresh, dynamic way.
What makes your work unique?
Vandana: What makes my work unique is the way I blend various mediums and techniques to capture the essence of nature. I incorporate elements like collage, spray paint, markers and gold leaf, which adds texture and depth. Additionally, my personal experiences and travels inspire my art, allowing me to infuse each piece with a sense of place and emotion that resonates with others.
What do you enjoy most about painting?
Vandana: The ability to connect with nature on a deeper level and translate that beauty onto the canvas. Something is so enriching about capturing the essence of a sunset, a field of flowers, birds, or an animal in its element, and seeing how it makes others feel.
Martine Cote's photographs carry a sense of tranquility and delves into the emotional tapestry woven by memories of places, drawing inspiration from the waterscapes and the wintry landscapes of her childhood in Quebec, Canada.
What is your favorite part about what you do?
Martine: Images are powerful and allow people to connect with memories and feelings. I love to hear stories when collectors look at my work and share parcels of their lives. It is a beautiful human experience and dialog.
What led you to pursue a career in photography?
Martine: From a very young age I was a creative, but it took time to find my medium. First, I started with music, I played the saxophone. Then, I worked in communications and marketing and that was when I developed a critical eye for imaging and messaging. Photography was a natural continuation.
What is an instance from your life that has sparked creativity?
Martine: I realized lately that all my series revolve around the time in my life that I spent at my family cottage. The waterscapes, the lighthouse, the rural and vernacular architecture. Those elements all sparked creativity but in a very slow and long process, so that today, years later, through my work I can show what my eyes and saw and felt.
Genie Kim, a graduate of Hongik University with a BFA in Seoul Korea, specializes in 2D painting and 3D sculptures. Her distinctive work frequently explores themes of childhood memories, animals, and motherhood as it relates to love, sacrifice, and healing.
What is your creative process?
Genie: In my paintings, I use acrylic gouache, which gives a velvety, matte finish. This effect is created through my own special technique, where I apply multiple thin layers of paint. This is similar to the traditional Korean method of building up color through layered washes. My 3D sculptures are created through a ceramic process, where the clay is bisque-fired, then either glazed and fired again, or painted after the second firing.
Why did you become an artist?
Genie: Ever since I was young, drawing has been my favorite thing to do. I always felt a natural connection to it, and as I grew older, I realized it was the best way for me to communicate my thoughts and emotions. Creating through painting and sculpture comes more naturally to me than words. I still spend most of my time working on my art, and I’ve never felt tired of it. It’s always been a part of who I am, so I suppose being an artist was always in the cards for me.
What do you enjoy most about creating?
Genie: What I enjoy most about creating is seeing how my work connects with people. When someone experiences joy, comfort, or even a sense of familiarity through my art, it reminds me of the emotions we all share. That connection keeps me inspired to create.
Marina Makropoulos is a portrait artist and documentary photographer who is passionate about creating meaningful work. She is inspired by introspection, music, travel and the human connection. These instances collectively allow her to see the world in interesting ways.
Why do you love photography?
Marina: I love it because it challenges me to capture the emotion I see. Our beings are so incredibly expressive, we just have to look. There is magnetism in emotion and through my photography I intend to capture just that.
What makes your work stand apart from others?
Marina: I aim to make poetic images of the things that interest me. My art explores the adapting nature of my personal experiences. I am often influenced by my own travels and through portraits of those I've met. My portraiture speaks to my infinity of people, their stories and the complexity they embody both spoken and visually.
Cite an instance from your own life that has sparked creativity.
Marina: As a kid, cameras and the pictures they made fascinated me. My parents rarely took photographs, but when they did the images were intentional and I used them like a show and tell with my friends. It was the only way I understood how to convey what my surroundings looked like growing up. We moved a lot, and I was shy, so snapshots helped break the ice. That’s how I became attracted to the power of images.
Connect with these makers and hundreds more, December 5-8!