On the Next Level is a series of interviews that features artists of the Art Nxt Level academy. The artists share their stories of how the academy has impacted their careers as well as share the exciting projects they have been working on. These artists have made the most of their experience and have taken their careers to the next level.

Today’s featured artist is photographer and digital artist, Inna Malostovker.

Congratulations on your photography exhibition! What was the process like in creating your proposal and how was Art Next Level able to help?

Inna: Before joining the Art Nxt Level Academy, I didn’t know an exhibition proposal existed. So, it’s safe to say, I started from scratch. I followed Sergio’s instructions very closely and was able to create a proposal that I am proud of. I loved the suggestion of creating a virtual gallery and taking a screenshot of that to show what the exhibit...

On the Next Level is a series of interviews that features artists of the Art Nxt Level academy. The artists share their stories of how the academy has impacted their careers as well as share the exciting projects they have been working on. These artists have made the most of their experience and have taken their careers to the next level.

What advice would you give to newer artists who are trying to discover their own unique style?

Elise: My advice to newer artists is to trust yourself and do what you are most passionate about with your work. If you get an idea, think it through, and then follow what emerges from that idea. We are so lucky to have access at our fingertips to anything we are curious about; anything we want to learn more about or investigate; and research anything from new subject matter, to new materials to try. I continually switch between and combine encaustic painting, oil painting and printmaking.

One-on-One with Catherine Nash, Tucson, Arizona, USA

What is your work about?

Beauty. Serenity. Compassion. Nature. The poetics of landscape. A particular timelessness. The nature of Being. I create art that responds to the natural world, reflecting a spiritual and philosophical relationship with the environment. The terrain, aesthetics and cultures of Japan, memories of the rich gradations and spaciousness of Scandinavian summer night skies, my experiences with Native American friends and explorations of the southwestern desert wilderness: these are my influences and what informs my artwork.

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

I work best with a deadline. If I don’t have a show or a gallery deadline, I impose it upon myself. I always leave something to finish the next day.

How has the pandemic affected your art practice?

I have been 100% unemployed since mid March. My gallery...

What is your work about?

I’m Expressionist Artist Caroline Karp painting the stories of life. I live quite close to the water in Safety Harbor, Florida USA. I paint uplifting artwork for the wildly adventurous soul, focusing on Sunflowers, Sails, and Sparkles. I work in many media including acrylics, oils, and mixed media. My work is steeped in mindfulness and true expression.

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

I have a daily yoga and meditation practice which is part of my routine to put me into a creative painting mood. During this time I visualize what I’m going to paint… But here’s the thing. Often times when I approach the canvas I have no idea what I’m going to paint.

What is one thing you MUST have in your studio?

When I’m in the creative zone, I let go and allow my artistic intuition to take over and guide me through the artistic process.

How has the pandemic affected your art...

Austin, Texas, USA

What is your work about?

I believe my paintings are stories, energy or emotions that come through to the canvas. Some may resemble celestial bodies, but to me, they are a bigger understanding of the universe & our place within it. When someone states they felt a painting, or it provokes emotion, I know I successfully transmitted the energy. I tell people that I don’t know if my personal growth helped me with my art or if my art helped me with my personal growth. I think the answer is yes to both!

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

Since I transmit energy on to my paintings it’s hard to just go and paint. I feel I need to be in the true creative flow. Sometimes just allowing myself to “play” with materials helps. When I am ready to paint I smudge the studio and the materials I will be working with before I start a painting. I also work on numerous pieces at one time. When my...

 Kelsey Proffitt, Houston, TX, USA

What is your work about?

My work is a documentation of my intuitive interpretations & experiences with the various emotions, struggles & life lessons of the complex human condition. I document these through various mixed media and intuitive processes that allow me to drop down into my subconscious & release it onto the canvas through various mark-making & painting strokes. Art is the manner in which I find my empowerment, by listening to my intuition and documenting what it has to tell me.

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

Absolutely. Each step I take towards getting ready to begin is a part of my ritual that allows me to “drop down” into my subconscious mind. With the nature of my work being mostly intuitive, this process is a hypnotic experience for me that is triggered by this ritual. Some of these steps include cleaning up my space, putting on some good...

Harrodsburg, KY, USA

What is your work about (elevator pitch)?

I combine abstract watercolor, drawing and botanicals into collages that appear dimensional. The subject reflects positive aspects of nature as witnessed by the present moment and the cycles of the seasons and time of life.

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

After morning meditation, coffee, walk and chores around home and garden, I paint or create until noon when I break my fast. I eat and take a siesta, then return to the studio. This includes checking emails and social media. I work until 5, when I cook, talk to the kids & grandkids, friends and husband. Structure and discipline work for me, though I throw in a dose of doing nothing and spontaneity occasionally.

How has the pandemic affected your art practice?

From outward appearances, it has not affected the practice, because for 20 years I’ve been used to having disciplined alone time for 12 hours a...

Aazam Irilian, Santa Clarita, CA

What is your work about?

My art is inspired by the beauty of life and the world around us-I paint the undercurrent of what seems to be visible

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

I spend a few hours (almost) everyday in my home studio. I begin each day by:

1. Reading or listening to inspirational programs/recordings
2. 15-20 minutes of meditation
3. Sitting with the new canvas/work in progress to be directed on the next step
4. Cleansing process by burning sage in the studio
5. My painting process depends on which phase the painting is at—I paint by allowing paints to flow on the canvas and have to allow drying time between each layer.

How has the pandemic affected your art practice?

For the first few months, I was very focused, worked and completed a series of fifteen paintings. Lately, as I’m looking into creating a new body of work, I find myself more agitated and difficult to focus on the...

One-on-One with Judy Steffens, Illinois

What is your work about?

I’m a figurative artist.   I paint people in everyday life situations.   My current focus is my ongoing Beach series celebrating people enjoying the sand and the sea.  I was inspired by a year of living in Florida and also by many visits there.   On the beach I observed women and men of all ages, shapes, sizes and colors simply enjoying themselves without body shame or worry of their appearance.  Their peacefulness and relaxed confidence in that setting made an impression on me.   My admiration of these beach-goers led to this series of paintings.

Do you have a studio routine, strategy or ritual that helps you get in the creative zone?

I work Monday through Friday starting at 9:00 am till about 3:00pm.   I get up by 6:30 and have a cup of coffee, usually sitting in front of my easel, while I catch up on email and social media and review my to-do list.  By the time...

One-on-one with Leslie Alfin, London, UK/ Egremont, Massachusetts USA

What is your work about?

My recent work explores literal contradictions presented by the use of physical boundaries (walls) as paradoxical metaphors for current socio-political ideologies (eg. build walls to achieve freedom from this or that) and the use of “walls” to confine/separate/lockdown perceived threats (are “we” locked in or are “they/it” locked out?). Ironic in that walls have been employed for millennium not only as boundaries, but as delivery systems for the communication and documentation of ideas, history, identity, ideologies, art and dissent that are typically associated with perceived “freedoms” rather than the restrictions that walls inherently imply.The choice of painting as a delivery system is meaningful as paintings can be seen as either a metaphorical “wall” or “window” driven by the individual viewer’s...