Since 2012, Jillian Dickson has explored motherhood and nature’s flora and fauna with the series “Our Epidural Currency.” These drawings combine blooming flowers, female organs, and insects for a cohesive portrait of evolutionary strength. Yet, in each of these bold renderings, viewers are first drawn to the complex beauty found in these self-contained ecosystems. The goal, she says in a statement, is to “examine the forgotten and neglected connection between the female tactile body and wild mother nature.”
It was Jillian pregnancy that sparked the idea for the series, as she remembered the inherent power and resilience found in the female body. Each work, mostly done in colored pencil, has a delicate nature to its design. But when Dickson adds in “high claustrophobic detailing, tightening of ropes, and grotesque veiny placentas,” the unity of the piece is secured.
Dickson’s work has appeared anywhere from Cincinnati, Ohio, to the Louvre in Paris. Recent shows have hit Modern Eden Gallery in San Francisco, Antler Gallery in Portland, and Muskegon Museum in Muskegon, Michigan.
In another ongoing series, “Fam Farm,” Dickson explores how Western farming has evolved and been corrupted. These delicate portraits show unassuming ribbons and balloons wrapped around animals, subtlely shown to be secretly suffering as corporations dress up and package the end results. These works were last featured on HiFructose.com here.
Working in the tradition of Italian Renaissance masters, the Milan-based artist 
Annita Maslov brings her pen and ink drawings to Beinart Gallery in the upcoming show “Arcana,” depicting scenes from mysterious worlds steeped in the supernatural. Maslov is an illustrator and tattoo artist inspired by mythology and the occult. Her work is known for its distinct dotwork.
There's an innocence and fleeing quality about