Natasha Pais

Nature Nurture seeks to reclaim our bodies from our complicated contemporary culture in an effort to return it to what it is--an echo of nature. These 35mm photographs depict found natural objects in stark comparison with parts of the artist’s body with little digital manipulation. This series reclaims the artist’s body as nature and treats it with the same amount of respect for form, love for texture and admiration for the imperfect detail. natashazeta.com/naturenurture

Natasha Zeta was slung from one side of the globe to the other at a young age, forcing her to create and recreate her origin story with varying complexity.  Fixated on repressed narratives, Zeta redefines the malleable parameters of realism and traditional portraiture in an attempt to capture subverted memories and sensitivities. For inquiries: natashazeta.art@gmail.com

Sandy Coomer

The paintings are part of a large collection of over 100 paintings that explore the earth, the body, the environment, and the science that binds it all together. These pieces are acrylic pour paintings created by combining acrylic paint with various substrates and silicone oil. The layers of paint react within the mixture according to their density, and form an abstract design. I interpret the design in terms of land, water, sky, body, and natural elements and phenomena. My aim in creating this collection is to present unusual and alternative views of life and nature in order to inspire viewers to 'widen their world.' I believe that when we can perceive with our imaginations and not rely only on literal interpretation, our world (our connection to and understanding of it) becomes more meaningful to us. The way the paints interact with the substrates is solely science based (think specific gravity) but what is produced is random and unique. Our understanding of the earth, the sky, and the body opens on other levels when viewing this art and our appreciation for our world grows. Perhaps in this awakening, we might be inspired to better protect and conserve what we so often take for granted.

Sandy Coomer is an artist and poet living in Brentwood, TN. Her poetry has been published in numerous journals and anthologies and she is the author of three poetry chapbooks, including the recent Rivers Within Us (Unsolicited Press). Her art has been featured in local art shows and exhibits, and has been published in journals such as Lunch Ticket (Antioch University Los Angeles), Gravel, The Wire’s Dream Magazine, Up the Staircase, Taxicab, Spider Mirror and The Magnolia Review, among others. She is a teacher, a dreamer, a seeker, and an explorer. Her favorite word is “Believe.”

Nell Smith

Nell Smith is a field biologist and writer currently working throughout the Four Corners region. Much of her creative work is ecologically rooted as she examines the interplay between people and place. She loves birds, saltwater, and the Sonoran desert during monsoon season.

Joseph Heathcott

Joseph Heathcott is a writer, photographer, and educator based in New York, where he teaches at The New School. His written and visual work has appeared in a wide range of venues over the last 20 years, including Antioch Review, Meridian, Folly magazine, Camera Obscura, The Montreal Review, Salon.com, Cross Currents, Blue Mesa Review, The Aurorean, Metropolis magazine, Urban Omnibus, and many more. He has also shown his work in numerous exhibits and judged art shows, most recently at CORE Art Space in Denver, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, Oceana Gallery in San Francisco, and Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie.