Catching Up with Krys Kinsel. Krys has always been the artsy type. She started selling hand made comics during lunch in high school to buy chupa chips and still makes comics. Krys stays busy with being the host of Zineville, an immersive youtube channel about zines, art projects and getting their community excited about zines.

Meridith De Avila Khan is a photographer & writer who has made her home in Virginia for over a decade. Making beautiful images and telling compelling stories is the how she finds her way in the world.

Kiera Hight was born and raised in Lynchburg, Virginia. She earned her BS in Cinematic Arts from Liberty University and then went on to work in the Film and Television industry. She has worked on many a feature and branched off to be an independent Director of Photography recently.

I am a visual artist working in Central Virginia. While primarily a painter, I enjoy working in other mediums and can be found experimenting with techniques. I first developed my love for art by watching Star Wars. As a young child, I could never articulate my fascination with the visuals presented in the series of movies, but I understood that someone had created everything from their imagination.

Suzanne V Paddock was born and raised in suburban New York. She received a BS in Visual Arts from the State University in New Paltz, NY. She was involved in the arts community in Woodstock and Kingston before moving in 2012 to Central Virginia. Since then, Paddock has been an active member of the burgeoning arts community in the town of Bedford and is also on the exhibition committee at Bower Center for the Arts. Paddock has exhibited in Virginia and New York in group, solo, judged, and juried exhibitions over the years. Currently she works out of her residential studio offering tours by appointment.

Melissa Rudge was born and raised in Madison Heights, VA. She graduated from Radford University with a degree in Art Education. After serving for two years as an Art Educator in Peace Corps Ghana, Melissa moved to Orlando, FL. Today you can find her teaching art to elementary school students and enjoying the Florida sunshine.

I’m Elizabeth Gray, better known around the internet as @thegraytergood. I am an artist/creative person with a focus on hand-drawn letters, or ‘handlettering’. I’m an introvert who isn’t afraid to admit I struggle with “people-ing”, and when I started using art to express myself, I found that people all over the world are drawn to that kind of honesty. That humor and openness has become a distinguishing mark of my personal style, and I’ve created fun, custom lettering work for big brands, small restaurants, and everything in between. My style of work is usually characterized by the use of a monochromatic color palette and is always detailed, playful, and legible.

I`m a Mexican American artist based in Lynchburg. My installation piece was inspired by the unrealistic expectations we all develop when we are children. If a child is good at writing, all the adults in their life encourage them to pursuit that interest. Teachers and parents fill their hearts with dreams and fantasies of one day publishing a book or becoming something remarkable on the subject. In my case, it was with art. I had dreams of one day becoming a famous artist and help bring my family out of poverty.

Jacob Laverty is graphic designer from Lynchburg, Va. He has worked as a designer with the local newspaper, the News & Advance, and is currently the production coordinator/graphic designer at Sweet Briar College. Honestly, I didn't really know I wanted to do art until recently. I knew I had a knack for it but didn't know what field I wanted to get into. When I was growing up I had a massive imagination and, thankfully, that carried over into adulthood. 

Mary Kumar holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Masters degree in Biblical Exposition and Sacred Music.  Art was one of her greatest childhood preoccupations. Mary lost her desire to create art after high school; however, ironically, she continued to attract and befriend artists throughout her college and postgraduate years.  In some sense, she lived vicariously through these vibrant artists with whom she shared community.