In 2014, Irina Makovskaya graduated SPCC as a Medical Sonographer and worked at a local hospital: Novant Health Matthews Medical Center. For three years, she volunteered as an EMT at Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department.       For as long as she can remember, art was her passion and all the “unrelated to art” experiences helped Irina to develop her own understanding of human behavior and values.      Irina graduated Children’s School of Art in 2000, where she learned the basics of drawing and painting, and has been working on mastering her skills and reflecting through art, her philosophy. Irina's work attempts to provoke. "I don’t want viewers to look at my works and say: “Awe, how cute!” I want them to battle, to think, to wonder. I carefully choose my project; think about message I want to send to the public. I look for models and stage the photographs I use to draw from. Sometimes the ideas come to me in my dreams, and I sketch them." Portraits have always been Irina's passion. She can’t help noticing details, and that’s why landscapes overwhelm her. These details are often the only element that deems the painting surrealistic.

John Godwin is a pioneer of a new form of art that is created with the greatest single fundamental basis of all art: light. Join him on a journey into the avant-garde world of abstract light painting, where vibrant hues and dynamic compositions come together to evoke emotions and spark imagination.

Sam Pitzer, aka Dummy, is an artist and writer residing in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Sam's mediums are a mix of acrylic, colored pencil, ink, watercolor, and pastel.  His work deals mostly with darker topics and features characters in states of agony, depression, and overall unease.

Born on a spring Baltimore morning in 1983, Jon Norris' artistic talents blossomed early, nurtured by his father's ingenuity and his grandmother Bonnie's artistic patience. Watching Bonnie paint ignited his self-taught passion. In 2009, with only five dollars, Jon moved from rural Eastern North Carolina to Charlotte, a pivotal move that fueled his artistic growth. His first ceiling mural at Church & Union led to a mention in a New York Times feature. Now a family man, Jon has transitioned from acrylic to oil paint and explores mixed media sculpture. Beyond his dark satire, he finds deep fulfillment in painting eulogy portraits for those grieving.

Holly Spruck is a narrative oil painter working in Charlotte, NC since 2002. Born and raised in New York, she attended College in New Hampshire, where she earned a degree in Art Education with a minor in Painting. From 1996 to 2002, Holly lived in the Czech Republic and taught art at the International School of Prague. While in Prague, Holly hosted four solo exhibitions, two selling out on opening night. Holly is a recipient of www.ArtPopStreetGallery.com class of 2018 where “Morning Commute,” was found on a billboard around Charlotte.  Her paintings have been featured in publications including www.nijimagazine.com, THINK magazine, Creative Loafing, Coffee People Zine, and on the cover of The Main Street Rag.

Mark Doepker is a self taught artist born and raised in Michigan.  Drawn from life, the subjects in his work are real people of the community.  Mark's belief is that figure drawing is one of the cornerstones to any creative or successful society.    "We learn a lot about each other when we draw-allowing a certain empathy to be discovered through the process.  Hopefully, this empathy can guide our own lives to better places.  I can take these drawings and turn them into murals or sculptures and back to drawings."    Mark's work has been exhibited extensively throughout the Charlotte region and can be found across the country, Europe and Central America.

Joshua Morris grew up in the Midwest, where you could go days there without feeling the sun. Maybe a fascination with light was the only outcome there could ever be. His work is a means of illumination and is often used to explore hallucinatory, dreamlike scenes. The purpose of this work is to approach the viewer with topics of isolation, loneliness, dissociation, and the difficulties in navigating the layers of a haunt. Charcoal is a medium that can be both fragile and stark, a substance walking the line between definite and ephemeral. It has served as an intimate means of connecting with these uncertain emotions and has encouraged a process of self-reflection and understanding.

Joshua Beck grew up in Roanoke, Virginia and currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. He has a wife, whom he lives with, and a cat, with whom he doesn’t. He and his wife met in 2012 when everyone thought the world was going to end; it didn’t, and so they’re still together to this day.    Joshua is a photographer, taking and editing all of his pictures on his iPhone. He prefers to take abstract pictures and angles that he feels others would ignore, such as pictures of unmixed paint or through shattered windows. He’s also a writer, working on a fantasy trilogy, and designs his own book covers. He also draws in abstract.     Besides his love for writing and photography, Joshua spends his free time reading books and watching movies and television. He’s a geek, and if you happen to mention things like Harry Potter, Star Trek, or the Marvel Cinematic Universe in his vicinity, prepare for a lengthy discussion on the topic.

Vance's creative journey began as a child and developed over the years. At UNC Charlotte, Vance focused on illustration, and since then has crafted his own artistic voice by bringing together work as a graphic designer, carpenter, and painter. Craftsmanship has become a lost art in our society. Vance's focus on craftsmanship allows him to slow down and engulf himself in every brushstroke, cut, or nail. The work explores historical stories and inner human struggles, but with a twist—bright, hopeful colors light up these sometimes heavy themes, drawing viewers in visually before revealing deeper stories.. What makes Vance's work distinctive is the blend of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design thinking, creating art that bridges technical disciplines while remaining loose and impactful.