Shoebox Artists

Here are some of the artists who make up the Shoebox Arts community.

Each brings their own style, perspective, and creativity, contributing to a space where artists

support each other, share their work, and grow together.

Patricia Fortlage patriciafortlage.com @patricia.fortlage

In Memory of our dear Patti Fortlage

Emily Araújo https://emily-araujo.com/ @searaujoart

I studied at California College of the Arts and Carnegie Mellon University, earning my BFA and MFA while developing a practice centered on water-based media and transparent layering. My work explores themes of remembrance, lost objects, and invented stories of home through slippery, sometimes uncontrollable materials that echo the subjects I investigate.

I am a Los Angeles County-based artist and former member of the cyberfeminist collective subRosa. Currently, I'm a member of the Artnauts, a group invested in social sculpture and forging connections across politically fraught boundaries. I've earned an Individual Artist Grant from the city of Pasadena and an LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund grant, and completed residencies at Mt. St. Mary's College Los Angeles and Stiftung Futur, Switzerland.

Over thirty years, I've exhibited in solo shows at SPARC Gallery, Side Street Projects, Gallery 825, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, and internationally in Switzerland, Spain, and beyond. My paintings are utopian recollections—not truthful renderings but works infused with histories, texture and yearning, shot through with the electricity of imperfect feelings.

Marianna Baker mbfiberandclay.com @mbfiberandclay

As a contemporary fiber artist, I harness the tactile nature of fabric, embroidery, and beading to convey powerful narratives that resonate on both emotional and societal levels. My work explores themes of identity, memory, and transformation, weaving together intricate textures and vibrant colors to create dialogue between viewer and material.

Through meticulous handwork and fabric manipulation, I elevate traditional techniques into contemporary statements, inviting audiences to reflect on their own experiences and connections. Each stitch, bead, and fold serves as both medium and storytelling form, celebrating resilience and the complexity of the human spirit.

I embrace experimental embroidery as a means to challenge tradition and explore new narratives. By merging unconventional materials and techniques, I create tactile pieces that invite curiosity and provoke thought. My work celebrates the beauty of imperfection and creativity's unpredictable nature.
My artistic journey testifies to craft's transformative power, where every piece becomes a visual and tactile exploration of what it means to be seen and heard in a world that often overlooks life's intricacies.

Dellis Frank dellisfrank.com @dellisFrank_theartist

I create fiber-based assemblages rooted in social justice, environmental advocacy, and cultural identity. Using repurposed materials, I've coined "The Greening of Fine Art" to describe my sustainable practice and "Vibrational Cooking" to reflect my intuitive, process-driven approach. Materials often guide each piece's direction, leading me into multidisciplinary work where symbolism and color invite viewers into self-reflection.

As a full-time artist passionate about visual art with a message, I focus on fiber sculptures that challenge societal norms while offering abstract pieces for aesthetic balance. My goal is transforming discarded elements into meaningful dialogue—one fiber at a time. Previously, I taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District, advocating for arts education and helping write media arts curriculum standards.

I currently serve on boards of several arts organizations and work with community groups focusing on arts advocacy. My work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including features on Peacock TV's Bel-Air. As a wife, mother of three, and grandmother of two residing in Lomita, California, I remain deeply committed to addressing social justice issues through my environmentally conscious art practice.

Katie E Stubblefield katiestubblefieldart.com @katiestubblefieldart

Katie Stubblefield creates wood cut prints, oil paintings, sculptures, large-scale drawings, and site-specific installations that explore order, chaos, and entropy. Growing up in Tennessee's old-growth forests before relocating to Southern California, she developed a fascination with tracking wind through tree canopies—an experience that continues to inform her investigation of nature's overwhelming power.

Her imagery is informed by site visits, forensic photography, first-hand accounts, and evidence of changed environments caused by super-sized storm patterns and climate change. Working with both traditional materials and repurposed substrates like discarded plexiglass and sailcloth, Stubblefield transforms environmental debris into layered studies of ecological disruption and renewal.

Recent works examine dust devils and updrafts as real-time indicators of global warming, overlaying imagery from flood zones and earthquake fault lines with local infrastructure. Her sculptural installations incorporate fishing nets, concrete, rebar, and architectural debris, freezing moments of environmental onslaught while questioning what emerges in devastated landscapes.

Stubblefield holds an MFA from California State University, Long Beach, and teaches at Coastline College. She has received fellowships from the Long Beach Arts Council and a 2025 Kipaipai Artist Development Fellowship. Her works are exhibited nationally and held on consignment at galleries including K. Imperial Fine Arts, SCAPE, and SALT.

Lynn Heinz lynnheinzart.com @lynnheinzart

I work as an unreliable narrator in my art, telling stories that aren't complete, truthful, or entirely accurate. My mental state, biases, and personal purposes shape how I bend reality. I filter everything through my own perceptions and interpretations, never seeking to depict consensual or historical truth.

My sources are varied—found photos, family images, and ephemera I've collected over time. I interpret color and emotions freely, adding elements to amplify narratives while leaving out details lost to memory and time's decay. I always leave space for viewers to decide their own version of the story being told.

I'm Lynn Heinz, an artist living and working in Los Angeles. I received my Bachelor of Arts degrees from UCLA. My work has been included in shows at Coastline Community College, Lancaster Museum of Art and History/Cedar, Art Share LA, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Avenue 50 Gallery, LA Artcorps, and Art Division.

Sharon Cannon sharoncannonstudio.com @sharoncannonstudio

I didn't start painting seriously until I retired. There was no plan—just a need to do something that felt free and alive. I work mostly in oils, using whatever gets me closer to that feeling: palette knives, rags, my hands. Rarely a brush. I'm drawn to color combinations that aren't supposed to work together—and that's exactly why I use them.

I don't sketch or plan things out. I just begin, and the painting takes over. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. I'm very self-critical, but I'm learning to leave space for accidents and surprises. That's where the truth often shows up.

Born into a farming family in South Dakota, I spent my first eight years in a single-room schoolhouse. After earning my Executive MBA from USC, I became Vice President of Unique Projects in high-end design furniture, collaborating with creative designers on projects for cruise ships, parks, and restaurants. Now living in Los Angeles, I've studied with Susan Manders and Kimberly Brooks, plus mentors in Scotland and Cornwall. I am also pursuing collaboration work with my friend, Don Saban who is a great photographer. Saban merges photos of my oil paintings with his photography, creating layered works that blend emotion and realism. Our pieces are really fun and well received.

Brooke Bender @brookebenderstudio

My creative vision draws from my own subconscious as I create forms from unseen and unknown worlds. These otherwise non-existent personajes come alive through my painting process. I draw from my own unique sensibility and the magic of the art process, allowing shapes and forms to emerge and come to life from an expressive start of spontaneous colors.

Taking risks as I explore my inner world of fantasies, I create forms that do not exist in the reality we live in, but are urged to come to life in my paintings.

I am an artist and psychotherapist living in Southern California. I received my BA in Fine Arts from California State University Northridge before going on to study Marital and Family Therapy and Clinical Art Therapy at Loyola Marymount University. After several years away from making art and focusing on my psychotherapy practice, the pandemic finally gave me the space to create once again.
I study with mentor and artist Ernesto de La Peña Folch, who is based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Anabella Rainer @anabellarainertrend http://arartdesigns.com

In my artistic process, I prioritize releasing any feelings of self-doubt or hesitation. It is crucial for me to let go of overthinking and trust in the creative flow, allowing my best work to come forth naturally. Nature serves as my sanctuary, a space where I can connect with the wonders and vitality of the world around me. Whether I am painting, drawing, or sculpting, the outdoors fuel my inspiration and determination.

I meticulously integrate oil and acrylic paints with watercolor, ink, charcoal, and paper to amplify the complexity that mixed media lends to my creations. Each piece delves into the finer representations of vibration, energy, and dimensions. I navigate various styles, moving fluidly between figurative, expressionism, and abstract approaches to probe the depths of visual expression.

I am an Argentinian artist based in the US, showcasing both nationally and internationally. Beginning my artistic journey at the Ruben Dario Art Academy at age 8, I further honed my skills at the University of Visual Arts in Argentina. My work has been featured at the 60th International Biennale Venezia and the Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum in Japan.

Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja adeolastudio.org @adeolastudio_art

My art practice is a spiritual and cultural offering—a visual language shaped by memory, ancestry, and the urgency to witness. I draw from my Yoruba heritage, personal migration story, and the collective experiences of Black and marginalized communities. Through vibrant color palettes, layered surfaces, and symbolic motifs, I navigate the complexities of joy, loss, resilience, and connection.

I work across media—painting, enamel on metal, sculpture, printmaking, and performance—letting the material speak. Some works, like those in my Mystic Series, emerge through intuitive mark-making and abstraction, creating organic forms that echo nature and spirit. Others, like Sacred Imprints, are deeply research-based, invoking ancestral DNA and reimagining narratives tied to slavery, migration, and survival.

As a curator, educator, and cultural bridge-builder, I believe in art's power to restore dignity, inspire reflection, and build community. My Menopause Art Project and cyanotype workshops create intergenerational dialogue around health and healing, while my recent installation work explores elemental forces as metaphors for transformation. I continue expanding my performance practice.

Palmer Earl palmerearl.com palmerearl_art

I am interested in a world when Goddesses were worshipped and women revered. Ancient cultures and polytheistic religions have been slowly mitigated away from our great grandmothers and replaced with monotheistic religions that promote women's subjugation.

Through my work I explore stories and ideas from polytheistic religions made obsolete long ago. These religions included powerful female deities and celebrated women's strength and unique beauty, encouraging more egalitarian societies and respect for our planet.

Using visual cues of medieval illuminated manuscripts—gold leaf, floral motifs, marginalia, and vertical formatting—I infuse polytheistic Goddesses from ancient religions in place of male monotheistic patriarchal icons of abrahamic religions.
Raised in New York City, I now live and work in Los Angeles with a BFA from School of Visual Arts. My subject matter mines the ancient origins of modern patriarchy, drawing on my own experience as a woman today. In remembering mythologies with strong female gods, we can empower ourselves to imagine how our world could be better for us and our daughters to come.

Cindy Zimmerman cindyzimmerman.work @cindyzimmermanartist

Trying to summarize what I have observed and instigated over 50 years as an artist, I have settled on this: I paint and make places—stories from my life, real and invented. That's how I understand my work. Contrasts drive it.

Born the oldest of eight Catholic girls in fundamentalist Oklahoma, I learned to live in variable realities. At 30, migrating to California, I oriented myself by creating an imaginary mashup of the two very different cultures. Contributing to community-based art has kept me grounded and inspired. A commitment to social justice pulls me forward. Service and solitude, contemplation and celebration, observation and invention.

I'm a Southern California painter and placemaker with an MFA from UC San Diego Visual Arts Department. My professional credits include member of Feminist Image Group, Adjunct Emeritus at various community colleges, co-founder of Fern Street Circus, and K-12 resident artist.

Right now, I'm thinking a lot about timelines and transitions, looking for throughlines and disruptions in my artistic practice to inform fresh actions while needing permission to play when there's so much work to be done.

Isabelle Hayeur isabelle-hayeur.com @ihayeur

I am known for my photographs and experimental videos, though I've also realized public art commissions, site-specific installations and artists' books. My work is situated within a critical approach to the environment, urban development and social conditions. Since the late 1990s, I've been probing the territories I travel through to understand how our contemporary civilizations take over and fashion their environments.

Concerned with the evolution of places and communities within the current neoliberal context, I produce images that evoke an ambiguous feeling, reflecting our unease in the face of a dehumanized system's flaws. My art practice proves to be both political and poetic, with constant striving to blur lines and highlight the ambivalence of our relation to the world.

In recent years, I've been captivated by the American West, immersing myself in its landscapes. I'm particularly drawn to Southern California and the arid expanses of Arizona and New Mexico, growing intimately familiar with these deserts, connecting with their communities and embracing the unique, often overlooked no-man's lands.

Linda Litteral lindalitteral.com @lindalitteralartist

Through the process of making things, I strive to open a door for those who have no voice and provide them a place to speak. Childhood trauma and abuse thrive upon silence and secrets. My visual language articulates the "unspeakable" while establishing a sense of hope and healing for the viewer.

Patriarchal constructs foster the silence that supports abuse. My art is a form of social protest that addresses these problems publicly. The goal is that abuse prevention will stem from greater awareness.

I am a multi-faceted artist working alternately with ceramics, bronze cast and clay sculpture, oil and acrylic paint on canvas, pen and pencil on paper, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media sculpture. I earned my MFA from San Diego State University, where my thesis explored art as a way to expose and heal childhood abuse.

I've taught art healing classes to inmates at detention centers and state prisons, and facilitated similar classes at New York City's prestigious Bluestockings Bookstore. As an artist, I'm passionate about making the world a safer place for women and children, using my art to educate and heal viewers.

Indi Carlton indicarltonart.com @indicarltonart

My work begins with intuition, with a kind of inner listening that guides each brushstroke without knowing what will emerge on the canvas. I follow a process that allows color, texture, and form to surface on their own timeline. The result is a blend of figurative abstraction and quiet mysticism, where vivid layers create openings into emotional and imaginative worlds.

Across my paintings I explore transformation, resilience, and the subtle forces that shape our inner lives. Some pieces lean into the mystical, others into whimsy or symbolism, but all are invitations to slow down and feel what rises between what is seen and what is felt. My goal is to create art that stirs something awake, offering a moment of wonder or recognition.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, I landed in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California in 1999. As a self-taught artist, I return again and again to acrylic paints, applying them in thick, delicious layers or as wet, dripping cascades. Greatly influenced by Marc Chagall and the intuitive painting process, I became a Master Facilitator of Intuitive Painting & the Expressive Arts in 2024.

Aazam Irilian aazamirilian.com/ @aazamirilianstudio

I am a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersection of nature, memory, and the unseen forces that shape our reality. Through painting and mixed media, I examine the interplay of color, light, and texture, using fluid layers and transparencies to evoke depth, movement, and space.

The mystical aspect of my Iranian heritage deeply informs my practice, particularly the understanding of light as divine presence and the veil as a threshold between visible and invisible worlds. This cultural lineage, combined with influences from Helen Frankenthaler, Agnes Pelton, and Georgia O'Keeffe, drives me to give form to the intangible.

I create layered, translucent compositions that suggest multiple realities existing simultaneously—where what is hidden and what is revealed exist in constant, beautiful dialogue. My process embraces spontaneity and surrender, allowing materials to move organically and reveal unexpected connections through intuitive mark-making and accumulated translucent layers.

Originally from Iran, I've resided in Southern California for over forty years. As a Kipaipai Fellow and educator for thirty years, I continue bridging art and science to reveal nature's complexity and beauty.

Shoebox Artists

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