Elias Hansen makes sculpture and installation-based works that incorporate hand blown glass, wood and metal support structures, tinted light bulbs and electrical components among other objects. Eli talks about how subterranean chemistry labs and distilleries have informed his work, working collaboratively with other artists, failure and error, straddling the craft and contemporary art worlds, the importance of apprenticeships, and championing curiosity in his life and studio practice.

Patrick Brennan makes abstract, mixed media paintings that are full of compositional vibration, technical and formal curiosity, and painterly truthfulness. Patrick discusses how he cedes control to his paintings, being a founding member of the artist run gallery space Essex Flowers, whether or not we should separate the artist as a person from the artwork itself, and feeling purposeful and at his best while working in studio.

Matt Kenny makes paintings that are influenced by thoughtful observation, surveillance, his research into domestic and foreign conflicts, and a reverence for traditional oil painting. Matt talks about a range of topics including Batman’s utility belt, the dilemmas of making content-driven artwork, the conceptual thru-lines in his work, the assassination of JFK, and a forthcoming poetry project.

Katherine Bradford makes paintings that often feature groups of people congregating around an impressive element, such as a massive bonfire, or scenes of swimmers floating and wading in water. Katherine talks about entering the atmosphere of her work, an urge to distance herself from old master oil painters, making epic versus intimate statements, and loving the overall intensity of being an artist.    

Matt Leines makes precision detailed drawings and paintings that burst with allegorical narratives and technical control. Matt discusses the labor-intensive process behind his work, the constant struggle of getting images out of his mind and into his drawings, the oddness of finding success early in his career, his personal rules for making a drawing and how he is excited to break them.

Gina Beavers makes sculptural paintings that are influenced by social media imagery and often depict step-by-step instructions on how to apply make-up, images of caloric foods, or the chiseled muscles of a body builder. Gina talks about the labor that goes into producing her work, how she selects and utilizes reference materials, the many upsides of failure, teaching art in the NYC public school system, and the exchanges between applying make-up to a face versus paint to a canvas.    

Brie Ruais makes ceramic sculptures that are informed by her own physicality and touch, terrain from the natural landscape, and the idea of the “center” as an important source of focus, reflection and power. Brie talks about being censored from a recent exhibition, the benefits of studio purges, embracing the fragility and restrictions of her materials and process, and finding a sense of purpose through her artwork and studio practice.

Adrianne Rubenstein makes paintings that shift between natural representation and abstraction, and feature a beautifully deceptive balance of seriousness, self-critique and humor. Adrianne talks about how the minutiae of nature has influenced her work, growing up in Montreal, the benefits of determined hard work, how working on behalf of other artists as a gallery director has shaped her own practice, and not being in a rush to make huge paintings.

Zak Prekop makes powerful and sharp paintings that are full of visual harmony, bold movement, and technical prowess. Zak talks about the process and tempo behind his paintings, how he prepares for an exhibition, growing up in a family of artists, and the sense of peace he feels after the paintings leave his studio.

An Hoang makes atmospheric and evocative abstract paintings that are influenced by observation and memory, and highlight an interest in how color can suggest a sense of wonder. An discusses how she prefers to have a blank mind while painting, the heartfelt joy of walking in the woods with her daughter, living outside of New York City and commuting to her studio space in Brooklyn, and learning how to facilitate and steer studio visits.