As humans we experience pleasure in a variety of ways but society often makes us feel guilty for experiencing pleasures, pleasures outside the bounds of cultural beliefs. Once we break free from the collective consciousness, we are freed from a belief that was holding us back. Only then can we enjoy pleasure more freely and fully.

This is a place of growth and self discovery — a place where one can finally let go of outside influences and truly understand what pleasure means to them. Melt away or remain present. Delve into your sense of self and explore the societal bias placed on your self-judgment. What actually feels good to you? You must challenge yourself with these questions in order to overcome perceptions in the mind, in order to understand and feel true pleasure. Sex, food, psychedelics, embrace it. Whatever pleasure means to you, I hope you take this journey.

REMOVING THE MASK

NICHOLAS HOLMAN

14" x 11"

Watercolor

In June of 1993 my family PCSed from Hawaii to North Carolina. We traveled across the country in our station wagon stopping only in San Antonio, Texas. I drew on my Magna Doodle to pass the time.

On June 28, 2022 fifty-three migrants from Mexico and Central America were found and pronounced dead in an 18-wheeler truck in San Antonio, Texas. They passed away from heat exhaustion.

CAUTION: EXTREME HEAT

SKETZII

16" x 20"

Acrylic on Canvas

For most of my life I’ve avoided, numbed, ignored, or repressed my emotions and feelings. It was a survival behavior that helped me get through those years that I can be thankful for now. Until I became sober, I didn’t know how to manage them in a healthy way. I started to make light of letting them come, letting them be, and letting them go; acceptance. Feelings and emotions are just information. The colors in this piece represent the core emotions and the complexity of the combination and mix of them. The cracks are the emotions surfacing with clarity. I had a breakthrough while creating this piece through experimentation, acceptance, and trusting I’m right where I need to be.

BREAKTHROUGH

BRIAN SCHANCK

19.75" x 19.75"

Mixed Media on Panel

Congealing from a singular point, the elements bind and give form to the human body. Pulled into existence and bonded to nature the astral body shifts into the physical.

A central figure emerges from a showcase of the elements in the swirling vortex. A bright object joins in touch with this once phantom being brings hope and fulfillment.

The partial memory of a dream & the flash of a composition was how this piece came to mind. Drawn digitally within Procreate - The execution of this painting was a fluid experience of joining new methods of color and tonal style to my linework.

PASSING THE THRESHOLD

ORA FRAZE

24" x 17.5"

Digital Print on Acrylic

Two fun facts about me: I love music festivals, and it takes me forever to make decisions. I combined those aspects of myself to illustrate what goes on in my mind when faced with tough choices. This poster for a fictionalized festival incorporates a whimsical and "kawaii" design to contrast with my conflicted inner dialogue in times of deliberation.

MY BRAIN HURTS!

CAT LIM

17" x 11"

Digital Print

Margaret, the Olde English Bulldog, has her own special kind of beauty.

However, she spends her days endlessly searching Instagram for beauty and fashion tips. Her desire to emulate her favorite Influencer has caused her to paint her walls the same shade, wear accessories in the same color, and strike the same pose. What Margaret doesn’t realize in her quest for “likes,” is that the image she sees is not real. Filters, makeup, special lighting, photoshop, and the fact that mermaids don’t exist make this an unattainable goal, despite her level of motivation.

MOTIVATION - 15K LIKES

DIANE V. RADEL

24" x 24"

Acrylic on Canvas

I had a lot of different ideas for my piece, including this one. I love Molly Ringwald, have painted her multiple times, and I've wanted to do something with this image for a while now. At first, I was debating creating a painting with a more mellow mood, but then the SCOTUS ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges and I decided that yes, this is the right piece for the moment. Although the scene in The Breakfast Club that this image is taken from is more emotional than moody, the overall vibe it captures represents the sustained mood that a lot of women/people with uteruses have been feeling since that ruling came down.

CURRENT MOOD

JOHANNAH O’DONNELL

8" x 8"

Acrylic on Panel

In a world filled with never-ending streaming options from YouTube, Netflix, to Instagram or TikTok reels, deciding what to watch next is one decision that most of humanity faces on an almost daily basis. This piece is inspired by that moment of decision (or indecision) and all the excitement and anxieties associated with it.

WHAT SHOULD WE WATCH NEXT?

DANIEL MRGAN

6.5" x 6.5"

Woodburning & Color Pencil

Life is an echo. Our own individual reality is a reflection of our own thoughts and actions. In this piece I wanted to communicate the longing and desire one can experience throughout our journey of the self. The muse and her reflection that is reversed and warped speaks to that introspection. The water and structures surrounding her represent the ebb and flow of life through gateways of time and space.

THE ECHO

NICOLE SALGAR

24" x 20"

Acrylic on Canvas

Thoughts are experiences, ideas, and emotions thrown together. In reality thoughts are made up of crap that needs to get done mixed with what we wish we could do instead. Since there is always something new that needs to get done and something new we want.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

NELSON PEREZ

16.75" x 16.75"

Acrylic on White Birch

In a moment of imagination, we experienced a delightful serenity. The red heel hitting the head is a sign of interruption of that peace. Afterwards we are set back the reality of dealing with a world full of violence, restrictions of personal rights, and limiting our preference of identity.

PRECARIOUS RED

STEPHANIE AGUDELO

10" x 8"

Photography Print on Acrylic

Only by moving beyond the final limit can we turn back to see the absolute essence of that which we out ran, of that which we transcended. The wisdom of Fools is that they have moved beyond Thought. As such, only Fools can know Thought in its entirety. In their little ship the Fools have sailed past the boundary of Thought, and there they fall from the edge of the world with minds empty and pure.

PAST THE INFINITE OF THOUGHT

ADAM GRAHAM

12" x 12"

Paint, Pen and Pencil on Panel

Color plays more of an influential role in our lives than we realize. It can affect our minds, bodies, and overall mood. How color is perceived is subjective, but we have colors that are widely recognized for certain things worldwide. Colors close to the red spectrum are warmer colors, including red, orange, and yellow. These warm colors evoke emotions ranging from feelings of warmth and comfort to feelings of anger and hostility. Whereas blue colors like purple and green are known for evoking feelings of calm, sadness, or indifference.

While painting abstractly, I was open to where the composition was headed, but mindful to color choice as the only guide to how I wanted you to feel. The title is only a suggestion.

CAN’T SHAKE THEM ALL

ANDREA PAWLISZ

24" x 24"

Acrylic on Canvas

When painting I seek to portray the beauty that exists in the human condition and figure. I do not merely want to
capture an image with brushes and paint. Rather, with careful thought out form, color and light. Aiming always to give that beauty a soft surreal quality. This piece speaks I hope, not only to me, and my own relationship with the piece but to the viewer and their relationship to the piece, how they interpret its presence, literally and emotionally.

Intent.

This piece came after a long break from art, through emotional struggles and healing. I went back to a deep part of me, of my creation. I've always felt there is so much ugliness in the world, and so; I've always wanted first and foremost to contribute to the beauty of it. That became my intent, something I lost. Something I regained.

FLOATING UPON A DREAM

MICHAEL FAIT

13" x 18"

Oil on Panel

Where would be without memory? We use our memory for everything, from learning languages and skills to recognizing others, building relationships and making decisions….it provides the foundation of our personal identity.

My painting depicts memory as a journey where past recollections provide a map to the future. Sometimes we struggle to retrieve an important memory only to have it come to us out of the blue, suggested by the raven (a symbol of remembrance in many cultures). The passing of time may erode our memories, yet some will stay with us for many years, much like the celebrated recall abilities of the elephant.

Human memory is a very complex process, one that we still struggle to understand.

MEMORY

ANDRÉE TRACEY

24" x 18"

Acrylic on Panel

Belief is a fictitious mental state, because both truths and falsehoods are believed.

In this day and age we are fed so much information via our phones, tablets, televisions and internet. A lot of the information read could be a truth, half a truth or a total lie.

This piece is based off of The Snellen eye chart, designed by Dutch ophthalmologist Hermann Snellen in 1862. If you can read the letters of the 8th line, your sight is 20/20 and you probably need LASIK.

Can you believe that?

DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ EXCEPT THIS

CHAD MIZE

28" x 16"

Spray-paint on Woodcut

A friend once said to me that when you’re in the middle of the woods you can’t see the aerial view. This piece is about retrospective point of view. For me it represents transitional moments and how letting time pass and allowing things to unfold can help us get a clear perspective of what might have seen chaotic and heavy in the moment.

UNTITLED

CARLOS PONS

14" x 12.5"

Mixed Media

Intentions are defined as one’s aim or goal. The mind can create reasonings and justifications that are inconsistent with true intentions. Whether it be to fit a narrative or caused by inaccurate perceptions shaped by previous life experiences, intentions can easily be covered and/or misread. While the mind may be the place where intentions can get muddled or hidden, the heart holds true motives. It is where our true colors shine brightest. When words and actions don’t align, that is a sign that intent is questionable. Being able to listen through the noise, see past the show and trust our intuition to look at a person’s heart allows us to see a glimpse of true intent.

TRUE COLORS

MICHELLE SAWYER

12" x 12"

Acrylic & Color Pencil on Panel

“I’m sorry.” is a mirror for all of the people who shrink themselves in order to take up less room. Dynamic contrast on the skin to skin contact points emphasizes the pressure and impact we put on ourselves when making ourselves smaller. The slightly dilapidated bench the subject is sitting on represents the fragility and instability that comes with this action and way of thinking.

I’M SORRY

TATE TATTOOS

15" x 12"

Graphite on Paper