Beril Ural is a Utah-based multimedia artist whose work depicts portraits of wildlife and pop culture. Currently pursuing a bachelor’s at the University of Utah, Beril has been honing their craft for over a decade, transitioning from childhood sketches to marker illustration and printmaking. 

Ashe (They/She) is a visual artist with a propensity for the poetical. They depict powerful, yet ephemeral figures; exposing concrete, yet unreal structures and sub-structures. She Utilizes many techniques and materials to depict the essences of authority, pain, false stoicism and self-defeatism. Her experiences as a trans-queer individual shape much of her artwork through cynical irony and layered double-meanings. She is endlessly fascinated with the human figure and borders between realism and abstraction. 

Crystal Wang is currently a biology major at the U. Their work is a sort of anime style with vibrant colors. They have been drawing for around 8 years. 

Ellianys Restrepo is a freelance graphic designer specializing in branding, visual identity development, and social media marketing. She holds an Associate’s degree in Graphic Communication and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design, along with over two years of professional experience. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and painting, continually exploring creativity beyond her client work. 

Heather Olsen is a figurative oil-painter based in Salt Lake City, UT. Through her intimate portrayal of the figure, her work seeks to explore the human experience through feelings of intimacy, vulnerability, and longing for comfort. Heather was classically trained at the Bridge Academy of Art and the Hein Atelier for four years before earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Utah. Within the last two years, Heather was chosen among several applicants to study in Europe with notable figurative artists such as Costa Dvorezky and Jeremy Mann, leveling up her artistic practice. Locally, Heather is most known for her painting during the Covid-19 pandemic featuring many healthcare workers as heroic figures, spearheading the campaign “Together We Can Do This”. Prints of the painting now hang in all Intermountain Healthcare facilities throughout the state of Utah and beyond. Her work is exhibited in various galleries and museums throughout the United States and Canada, and she has won several awards notably the Juror’s Award in the 2025 Statewide Competition, Finalist in the Portrait Society of America’s Member’s Only Competition, and top 4 in the Art 64 2025 worldwide speed painting competition. In addition to her studio work, Heather also paints public murals and has recently completed a bus stop mural in Park City, and a public mural in South Jordan’s Oquirrh Park. She also enjoys teaching painting and drawing through art workshops at the Visual Arts Institute, Workshop SLC, and instructional videos produced by Sentient Academy. By pushing the boundaries of her creative expression, and a commitment to authenticity in her work, Heather continues to leave a lasting impression on the art world through her emotionally resonant oil paintings. 

Isabel Duncan loves creating art that lets people live vicariously. Most of the references for their art are pictures they’ve taken while traveling or during moments they want to remember. It’s their way of telling stories and letting people write their own to experience the feeling of being transported into a moment. 

Jen Hestad is an impressionist oil painter from Ogden, Utah. She has been painting with oils since 2002 and is passionate about capturing landscapes, florals, and especially waterlily ponds. She works out of a studio space in her home painting scenes that inspire her and takes on several commissioned projects each year to bring to the canvas scenes that inspire others. She loves to explore the beautiful mountains and the high desert, admiring the rich beauty and diversity of landscapes that Utah has to offer. She finds inspiration in the community she lives in, taking pictures of the scenery and expressing them on canvas. At this season of life, she is able to dedicate more time to continually improving her skills and techniques to best be able to translate her inspiration onto the canvas and make an inspiring scene her own. In July of 2022 Jen was featured in the online magazine, VoyageUtah as a Rising Star. Her piece, “Evening Calm” received an honorable mention in The North Ogden Connection art contest in October, 2022. She was awarded an FY24 and FY26 Artist Career Advancement Scholarship from the Utah Division of Arts and Museums. Jen’s piece, “Walk to the Valley” was juried into the AAUW Utah Women Artists Exhibition, “Celebrating Women Bold and Beautiful” in September, 2024. Five of Jen’s pieces were purchase and used as set decoration in the film “Train Dreams” premiering at Sundance Film Festival 2025. Jen has been invited to participate in the April 2025 showcase, “Touching Grass” at the Urban Arts Gallery. She will be participating in The Miners Nine exhibit in May 2025 in Park City, Utah. She was selected to participate in the Sears Invitational and Art Show in St. George, UT. Jen takes pride in the community of collectors she has found along the way as well as new appreciators of the art she works to create. Her goal is to continue to nurture and grow her craft, business, and art community in the years to come. 

Laura has lived a creative life since a young age. She has attended school in Oregon, Hawaii, and Brazil pursuing her passion in the arts. Throughout her life, she has blended her diverse surroundings and cultural experiences into Art Expression. Laura received her BFA from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with an emphasis in Painting and Textiles, along with a Minor in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies. Laura teaches Art to all ages and facilitates art therapy groups. Laura has over 20 years’ experience teaching art and practicing meditation. She is actively involved in an array of artistic events going on from shows and curation to orchestrating Fine Arts Festivals. Laura also oversees portfolio building with students who may be looking to attend some form of art-specialized school or are just interested in building a portfolio! Laura has always had a passion for finding creative pathways to mental health and enjoys helping students do the same. “Creating healthy outlets and opportunities through art for my students has been my most fulfilling work.”- Laura Jambura Johnson 

Lynn’s artistic journey began on his family farm in Utah. He studied at Dixie College, Utah State University, and the University of Utah, earning a B.F.A. degree. Influenced by Corot, George Inness, Piet Mondrian, and Franz Kline, Lynn’s work blends classical and modern styles. He has exhibited at the Salt Lake Art Center, Union Gallery, and Sylvester’s Gallery, and participated in arts festivals in Park City and St. George. His art is featured in private collections and galleries like Crossroads Gallery and Kimball Art Center. Lynn continues to create both on location and in his studio. 

Mary is an 86 year old grandma who has made her art as a way of life. She is a retired elementary and art educator. Mary began teaching bookmaking 25 years ago and has continued with making alphabet books since retiring from teaching. Creating alphabet books is now her full time job and she loves it dearly. 

Born in Glendale, California, Meli Calkins has been painting for the past 55 plus years. Meli’s mother was a commercial artist and taught Meli how to observe what she saw in her world and would interpret it with drawing and paintings on paper and canvas. While pursuing a Bachelors and Masters degree in Environmental at California State University, Northridge, Meli was able to squeeze a few fine art classes in her busy schedule raising a family, working in the aerospace industry and participate in the local art scene in Southern California. Meli loves to interpret the landscapes around her. While most of her paintings are of landscapes and seascapes, she also enjoys creating paintings with horses, koi fish, still life, and abstracts. After spending over 30 years in the aerospace industry Meli and her husband moved from Southern California to Pleasant Grove Utah in 2017. Meli is now pursuing new places in Utah and elsewhere to find and paint with soft pastel and oils. 

Nanda Brock graduated with honors from the University of Utah and spent many years in the insurance industry before returning to pursue a second bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, focusing on painting and drawing. She has completed commissioned charcoal and pastel portraits of people and dogs, and also works in oil and acrylic, exploring portrait and figurative painting, She is happy to contribute to her school community and help support other students through this exhibition. 

Olivia is a watercolor artist based in Ogden, Utah. Originally from the east coast, her work is inspired by ecosystems and the plants and critters within them. 

Phoebe is a multidisciplinary artist who paints, shoots film, and creates custom clothing with a special focus on hand processes such as dyeing & embroidery. Phoebe loves exploring mediums and combining them to make something new. Their work reflects the surreal and deep love of mythology, dreams, and symbolism. 

Ran Stewart is a fine art painter who works primarily from his studio in Salt Lake City Utah. His journey as an artist began at the age of nine when he took a small paint by numbers set his parents had gotten for him, painted over the pattern and made his own painting. His work is an exploration of the movement of time and space within a two-dimensional space. The work takes on a moodiness and sense of movement due to the distinct brush work and limited pallet. Inspired by the impressionist, Stewart says he likes to hint at the scene and allow the viewer to insert themselves into the story unfolding in front of them. “Many of my pieces tell a story, but that story isn’t mine, instead it lives in the imagination of the viewer and evolves as they interpret the art for themselves,” says Stewart. 

Trevor Dahl (b. 1995, Redding, California) is a self-taught visual artist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. A 6th-generation Mormon, he left the church at 17 and begun a lifelong reconciliation of his heritage with a deep curiosity about culture, history, science, spirituality, and myth. After moving through more than ten U.S. cities as a child and later briefly attending Utah State University on an academic scholarship to study saxophone and visual art, he chose to pursue his education independently. Before transitioning into full-time artistry, Dahl supported himself through odd jobs including construction, carpentry, landscaping, graphic design, childhood education, and restaurant work. These experiences shaped his resilience and belief that art belongs in shared cultural space. His painting and drawing practice is known for imaginative, symbol-rich murals that blend playfulness with philosophical depth and now appear in prominent civic locations throughout Utah and beyond. From 2021 to 2024 he was a core member of Odd Star Studios, an artist-run warehouse in Salt Lake City that fostered installations and community events and deepened his commitment to collective creativity. Today he works under the moniker Good Happy Stuff, creating public art and paintings that celebrate play, optimism, and the archetypes of human experience. 

Veera Kasicharernvat is a multifaceted individual with a rich background in both martial arts and visual arts. Born in Thailand and immigrating to the U.S. in 1969, he has dedicated his life to studying and teaching martial arts disciplines such as Judo, Aikido, and Tai Chi. His artistic pursuits began with ceramics and have since evolved into a unique form of mark-making that explores the energy and harmony of opposites. Veera’s work is characterized by its meditative and contemplative qualities, reflecting his deep connection to ancient Thai philosophy and his artistic exploration of nature and balance. 

Xhantall Aguilar is a Mexican-American artist born and raised in Salt Lake City. Primarily a painter, they combine both Mexican traditions with their indigenous Maya heritage to explore ideas of contemporary social issues, cultural expressions and family histories. Regularly, they paint in acrylics and recently have been experimenting with oil pastels and reusing/recycling objects that they already have in their possession. Currently, Xhantall is in their final semester of University and they are working on a series that will reflect their family history and identity through painting on materials from Mexico and ones they find in Salt Lake. Through this series, they are also reflecting on the theory of rasquachismo, which was coined by artists Amalia Mesa-Bains and Tomas Ybarra-Frausto, who are also some of their main inspirations for this series, as they explore ways to turn everyday objects into artworks that hold memories and life.