We invited Svitlana Martynjuk, an artist as well as the CEO & founder of All SHE Makes to select the next round of Curator Picks from our anniversary show "ONE." 

About Svitlana:

"I was born and raised in the beautiful western capital region of Rivne, Ukraine. I am an artist, founder and CEO of All SHE Makes - an online directory increasing visibility for women artists worldwide.

I moved to the United States where I completed my education in Fine Art, Psychology, and Strategic Management. Inspired by the human mind and with a fascination for nature, I am a traveler at heart and appreciate experience through interaction and exploring the complexities of diversity in people. Currently, I work and reside in Michigan."

About All SHE Makes:

Women artists remain drastically underrepresented across the world. Founded by artist Svitlana Martynjuk, our goal is to offer a curated space to locate women artists from any corner of the world.

There are many places to find talent, but none where professional women artists can be discovered by discipline or location. Since women artists are extremely underrepresented in galleries and museums, talent searches leave an alarming majority of women artists undiscovered, unless organizations are committed to bringing equality into the art world.

It’s extremely difficult finding a community if you are new to the area as well, and we promote our directory to an array of global art organizations that might or might not already support visibility for women in the arts. Our most recent collaboration involved WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and their campaign to promote love for nature through art, where millions got to see amazing work by our artists. 

Visit the organization's website to learn more about joining! 

Her picks!

Jessica Alazraki
Puppy on Gray
14 x 18 inches
Oil on board
2019

Svitlana says: "Jessica's technique undoubtedly draws my attention to her paintings. We get to experience pet portraits in a much different way than what we are used to. It almost feels like looking at dogs through a Genieve Figgis lens because of the loose and unconstricted brushwork. Her paintings feel soft and bold simultaneously."

Statement from the artist: "We all love dogs. They're our companions – we share with them our lives and most intimate secrets. They have become symbols of emotional support and represent something cute and lovable; they're iconic to us.

In my paintings, I recreate dogs without much description. I'm looking for something raw and bold to capture their essence. I limit drawing and use paint to do all the work. The texture comes from a messy surface, and color choices are always intense and dramatic. I try to achieve the most painterly look possible. My dog portraits are charged and have a unique energy that creates character despite destroying their standard anatomical form."

Erika Stearly
Angela's Seattle Apartment No. 101
12 x 9 x 1 inches
Watercolor and acrylic on panel
2019

Svitlana says: "Erika's work feels very intimate and personal. Her pieces allow us to peek into the vulnerable spaces and most intimate settings we don't often get to explore. These interior pieces are perfectly capable of standing on their own or being grouped together on a gallery wall."

Statement from the artist: "Named using the street address of the residences depicted, I make paintings of the spaces where people live. Convinced that multiple approaches to painting are valid, the imagery in my work balances an impulse to faithfully render household objects against the emphasis on the hand of the artist. The combination of abstraction and representation romanticizes these spaces in a way that invites the viewer to construct their own narrative of the scene. 

Over the years, I have developed a mixed media technique that allows me to combine the characteristics of watercolor and acrylic paint. Delicate shapes can quickly be sketched in or large blocks of color can be refined with watercolor pencils. The heavier bodied acrylic paint can fully cover existing passages and retains its brushstrokes. Using both types of paint together produces a more nuanced range of painterly effects."  

Juliana Naufel
Vulnerable World
2.5 x 2.5 inches
Embroidery on photograph
2019

Svitlana says: "Juliana's work expresses the vulnerability hidden in acknowledging the weight our past carries. It's a gentle reminder that it's possible to mend the faulty foundation that's been built while honoring its existence. We all come from different backgrounds and carry different luggage with us, but this piece reminds us of possibilities that lie ahead of us."

Statement from the artist: "I create my pieces because I am on a healing journey. By stitching new stories on long lost forgotten photographs, I found my voice and discovered how to use my own power to overcome trauma and take better care of myself. This is something that only I can do; I may not have chosen to experience trauma throughout my life but I now have the choice, the power and the responsibility to heal myself and forgive what happened in my past. I am passionate about things that take strength from their own fragility; the understanding that what society usually considers as a fragility is in fact the quite opposite intrigues me greatly. Portraits showing vulnerability, tenderness and affection are my favorite ones to work with. Embroidering photographs might seem subtle and delicate, however, to me, it is a powerful and healing practice.  I am poking holes and suturing through forgotten memories, an act that cannot be undone."