Serena Cole blends watercolors, colored pencil, and other materials in her stirring portraits, deftly adding provocative elements in the contours of her subjects. In recent works, the artist “considers each piece an avatar of herself,” a recent statement says, with self-portraits that reflect on different experiences of being a woman today.
“Cole’s highly detailed mixed media artwork continues tropes from the history of painting such as the female figure and the still life,” a statement says. “She uses these traditional formats as metaphors to examine what it feels like to be female living in America today. Uncanny, forward-facing and often distraught expressions of her portraits give autonomy to the figures who can see the viewer seeing them.”
See more of Cole’s works below.
Whether in a gallery or on a public wall, 
Though viewers may not know the narratives of 
With "Shine," painter Ken Flewellyn further explores the golden age of hip-hop and intersecting cultures. The show, currently running at Thinkspace Projects in Culver City, offers a set of new works, including a collaboration with artist Brian Viveros. Flewellyn was recently featured in print with