Celebrating Women in Art for International Women’s Day

Polly Judge

After a foundation in Art/Sculpture and fashion I studied for a degree in Fashion and Textiles at Ravensbourne. I came back to my art practise later in life after years as a fashion stylist. I have lived around the world but moved back to East London in 2016 and then to Margate in 2023. I have followed Dark Yellow Dot for years and was lucky enough to be your artist of the month back in 2021. I am working away from the art world at the moment and don’t have a clue how to go about finding my way in, so navigating a path through, with the help of experts would be an unbelievable opportunity.

I am interested in colour texture and pattern. In my figurative work I am drawn to faces, peoples interactions and their positions in domestic interiors. I paint from old family slides and found pictures from films, interior magazines and books. Combining them as collages or in photoshop. Adding to the original as I go along until the final painting emerges. My still lives are a response to my everyday surroundings, using items from around my home as a starting point. I often make a paper cut out collage to begin to simplify the shapes and sometmes also colour mood board. I paint in acrylics on canvas and paper.

Rebecca Deary

My name is Rebecca and I am from Luton in England. I enjoy oil painting and creating small portrait sketches using ballpoint pen. I studied Fine Art at Hertfordshire University. I am currently working full-time as a secondary school art teacher and am enjoying this, but I still have ambitions to pursue art full-time as it is something I am very passionate about and constantly doing after work. I paint everyday scenes, usually viewed as disgusting/groutesque and heighten the colours and shine to make them appear much more visually appealing.

I create oil paintings, usually on wooden panels that depict household scenes often viewed through a negative lens (i.e. a fully stacked sink of dirty dishes, a messy and disorganised fridge, a kitchen sink drain littered with pieces of old food). I have grown up in a household that has struggled with mental health, and these sights are commonplace and have been throughout my childhood. People often feel ashamed of the messy environments in which they live and hide this aspect of themselves. Through my paintings, I want people to embrace and come to terms with the fact that none of us are perfect, and learn to view these everyday scenes through a more positive lens, as they are a sign of our humanity and individuality.

Neha Jakkampudi

I am a recent (BA) Architecture graduate whose work sits at the intersection of fine art and digital mediums. I aim to delve into pressing social issues through storytelling, sparking dialogue and reflection. Whether through digital renderings or traditional media, I strive to illuminate the delicate balance between human creativity and the natural world, encouraging a deeper understanding and appreciation of the interconnectedness that sustains us.

‘The Dinner’ is an oil painting that celebrates female empowerment by portraying woman as leaders, decision-makers and powerful figures. This feminist piece intentionally reclaims the concept of ‘the dinner’, stripping it of traditional male dominance and greed. The subjects of the painting, who are the artist’s closest friends, add a deep personal and emotional layer to the artwork as it showcases the vital role women play in shaping the world.

Kristen Erken

Kristin Erken is an artist based in London working mainly with acrylic and oil painting, often on wood surfaces and some photography. She draws on the myriad of patterns found within nature, forming abstract shapes for decorative mark making. Often the woodgrain of a surface is used as a base for the development of the work.

She studied Fine Art, major in Photography, Kristin has developed her painting practice on her own path without the influence of institutional teaching. She Returning to her art practice after a long break as a single parent, she took part in the recent E17 ArtTrail.

“I enjoy working with found materials, such as slate, or painting on wood where I follow the grain pattern to find a new world to inhabit visually. I do have a triptych of paintings on canvas included here, but I find a blank white canvas a little daunting. The texture of an alternative surface like wood will give hints of the forms I go on to create. I create fantasy scenes with the themes of the life cycle and the links in the natural world, from microscopic creatures to mountains or jungles. I often start off with little idea of what I will come out with – the work reveals itself to me as I continue, a more intuitive way to work than setting out a plan. Even with plans, the work invariably takes a new direction as I’m working so I may as well let go and let the process take me along.”

Abi Huxtable

Abi Huxtable, a London-based artist, draws from her 20+ year-long career in photography to inform her approach to image making. Using AI and Photoshop she creates fictional figures and environments as references for her figurative oil paintings.

Since graduating from the RCA in 2017 her work has been exhibited in London, Taiwan, and Dubai. Notable selections include Beers Contemporary Visions, BLOOOM Award by Warsteiner, and Bloomberg New Contemporaries.

Outside of her studio, you’ll probably find her in a coffee shop deliberating over a crossword, or exploring the outdoors.

“My recent work explores fictional narratives centred around the domestic spaces of digital nomads. This direction emerged from a residency in Taiwan, where I conducted fieldwork on Web3 technologies. I became intrigued by how digital nomads are redefining and remodelling domestic environments. In transient living and co-working spaces, minimalist decor is often embraced, while unique cultural expressions are increasingly diminished.

Each work begins with research, which I use as inspiration to create digital references for my oil paintings. I collage AI-generated and sometimes found imagery together, before and during the painting process. The titles correspond to the prompts used; with bracketed words highlighting key elements, as well as offering insight into the conceptual process.”

Lauren Little

Lauren Little is a multifaceted artist, educator, and curator originally from London, England. Her recent work explores fragmented portraiture, exploring themes of resilience and overcoming hardship, trauma and adversity.

Lauren studied Fine Art and Education at the University of Calgary in Canada, where she resided for 14 years. While her journey has led her back to her roots in London, where she now lives as a full-time artist and curator, she cherishes her extensive experience as an art educator, having spent many years as an Art Lecturer at the University of Reading as well as teaching art to school-age children.

Her artistic pursuits continue to evolve as the Founder and organiser of Dark Yellow Dot, an award-winning platform championing emerging artists and their work. Continuing on her own journey, Lauren remains committed to empowering people to embrace their potential towards a creative and fulfilling life.

Issabella Morales Salis

I’m an emerging contemporary painter born in 1995 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Now based in London. I came to London with a dream, to find myself as a creative person. I started to seek my fine art career when I was 28, before that I didn’t think it was possible. I’ve always made art on the side, never thinking it could be serious. I like to go for long walks in nature, stay with my cats, watch movies or read, but to be honest I’m always in the back of my mind thinking about what I’m going to paint. It is like an obssession.
I spend most of my days now in my studio, which is a temporary one.

My artistic journey is deeply influenced by my Brazilian heritage and the complexities of navigating multiple cultural identities. Through my work, I challenge the conventions of Western art by embracing a dynamic approach that blends realistic rendering with explorations of identity, memory, and psychological depth.
Queer women in surreal settings, exploring themes of duality and fragmented identity—concepts that are particularly personal to me as an queer Latin American immigrant. I use mostly oil paint on canvas , although I sometimes paint with acrylics first and then I paint with oils on top. Recently my last artworks I’ve been experimenting with air dry clay and tufting, blending in my oil paintings. I started with my sketchbook and iPad and started painting on big canvases.