Jennifer Lashbrook
Aileen Frick
I am interested in the way collage can be integrated into paintings so that one is not conscious of the boundary between the printed image and paint. Beauty and silence play an important part in my artwork. The paintings become quiet meditations on meaning and existence. Most of all, I try to create spaces that will invite the viewer inside. Each image is a progression of time into a quiet place within. The artistic result is no more than the language of that expression. Be it a vision, a memory, or an attraction, what is stored within cannot always be expressed in words. The degree, depth and sincerity of feelings or emotions are difficult to properly describe with language. My art is my music. Its measure may be the degree you find within yourselves connections to what I do not say, but what lies before you within the collage.
I am endlessly fascinated by color. My work begins with an over-examination of the subject: dissecting the image, studying its hues, values, and saturations, and leaving behind a map of color choices for the viewer. Using individually cut paint swatches, I build pixelated collages of landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, and iconic works of art. From a distance, colors blend into photorealistic clarity; up close, the individual “pixels” emerge, revealing the meticulous arrangement of thousands of swatches. When viewed through a cell phone or at a distance, the images sharpen and details leap forward, evoking Gestalt psychology as the brain connects the dots—or squares—based on memory and experience. The cell phone acts as a filter, creating an interactive, playful encounter with the work. My process itself is meditative: gathering swatches from hardware stores, organizing and cataloguing colors, and exploring subtle tonal shifts. Each piece becomes a digital-age impressionistic puzzle—an adult version of paint by number reimagined through discarded materials.
Carla Bank
Carla Bank was born in Mexico City and raised by the beach in Cancun. Although she has lived in the United States for most of the last two decades, her Mexican heritage remains a central influence and a constant source of inspiration in her work. Raised in a family of creative professionals, Carla’s passion for art began in childhood. She trained professionally in graphic design in Guadalajara, Mexico, and over the years has developed a distinctive style that blends vibrant colors, layered textures, and joyful energy. Today, she works full-time as an artist, traveling across the United States to exhibit at well-known art shows, creating sought-after commissions, and collaborating with fellow artists.