The Properties of Imagination exhibition at the Bernice Kish Gallery brought together eight artists — Andrea Hunt, Anthony Williams, Charlotte Mann Lee, Cori Bowen, Julie Henneberg, Kory Sutherland, Maureen Cogan, and Nick Stern — each exploring creativity through their own lens.
During the Gallery Talk, held on September 20, 2025, they shared what drives their work, the challenges they face, and what keeps them creating. Here is a glimpse into that thoughtful and inspiring conversation, in their own words.
What Inspired the Work
Andrea: “I was inspired to create this series after attending a women’s conference last year with my mom. One of the speakers focused heavily on “taking up space” and letting one’s voice be heard. During her lecture, she gave each woman in attendance a colorful card with an inspirational word on it. The colors on that card really spoke to me, and it brings me joy each time I see it.”
Charlotte: “I was inspired by Scripture passages that were meaningful to me at the time, specifically God’s promises of redemption in the book of Isaiah. From there, I also came to the concept of healing, which also took on a personal meaning, as I was just starting counseling to help me recover from past trauma. In Hebrew (the original language of Isaiah/The Old Testament), the word for healing, Rapha (רָפָא) literally means, “to mend by stitching.”
Nick: “Walks around my Columbia neighborhood, scenes in my backyard, a view of the water in the Inner Harbor, night scenes at the County Fair. Within ordinary, everyday vignettes that can grow stale, that can be passed over, forgotten, abandoned, there is still a kernel of incredible complexity and astonishing beauty.”
Julie: “For my paintings in this show, my focus was really about finding inspiration in the mundane. Two of my paintings are based on photos I took of the inside of water bottles. I really want to prove to myself, and hopefully others that there is so much beauty in the world around us if you’re willing to look for it.”
Kory: “My series is a collaboration with my daughter: It’s like a time capsule of the year my daughter was three. My intention was to capture the feeling of this fleeting time in a child’s life that conveys how special and precious it is, not just for my family but for all children.”
On Favorite Works
Charlotte: “My favorite piece is “A crown of beauty instead of ashes” (Isaiah 61:3) because I enjoyed working on it the most, and it came the most easily to me of all the pieces. I finished it in only two weeks (whereas the first pieces of the same size took 4 months). I felt a lot of joy working on it last summer as I reflected on Isaiah 61, a passage that had spoken to me about a year after I went through spiritual trauma. The passage speaks of God’s anointed one, the Messiah, who will come and bring good news/hope to a weary and sorrowful people. Despite the pain of my past experience, this passage reminded me of the hope I have in Christ, who promises to bring beauty from ashes and joy from sorrow through His redemption. ”
Anthony: “The hot wings illustration. It has so much motion and energy, and I love the colors.”
Nick: “Quince for its vibrancy, light, and composition.”
Julie: “My favorite piece in this show is Contained III because I think it comes closest to what I was trying to achieve in this series. I like that people don’t quite know what it is when they look at it. I didn’t want or care for it to look recognizable, but to instead go back to basics and think about color and light.”
Kory: “I like the piece that is called Neighborhood Map. It’s a bit abstracted but you can see in the drawing that my daughter is starting to make sense of our world and our neighborhood. She drew our neighborhood pool, our cul de sac and a couple of the big streets. I also love the colors of the sequins in the piece.”
Challenges
Andrea: “Having a full-time job, it can be challenging to find time. As a teacher, I am fortunate enough to have summers off, and that is when I am pretty heavily in creative mode. During the school year, I designate one weekend per month to work on personal art projects, and I am very disciplined about this.”
Cori: “Starting with a new medium, embroidery, and committing to ten works.”
Nick: “Choosing what to think about, photograph, and compose.”
Julie: “For me, the hardest part of painting is usually deciding what I want to paint. Once I start, I know I’ll be spending a lot of time with the piece, so it needs to feel right. Technical challenges come up, of course—some media more than others—but my biggest hurdle is choosing what to do and actually beginning.”
Kory: “Time is definitely a challenge for me too. Also, sewing on paper can be really fragile, so keeping the pieces safe while I’m working on them is hard.”
Finding Balance
Andrea: “As a teacher, I dedicate one weekend a month to personal art and I’m strict about keeping that time.”
Charlotte: “With a full-time job and a baby, I now work early mornings and during naptime.”
Nick: “Art is balance. Expressing yourself is defiant; no one asks you to do it, but you must.”
Kory: “A lot of my work happens either late at night or in the hours while my daughter is in part time preschool. Some days I just have to put everything on hold.”
The Most Meaningful Part
Charlotte: “Meditating on redemption and sharing hope with others.”
Andrea: “Spending time with friends during the process.”
Nick: “Showing these works in the exhibit.”
What Comes Next
Kory: “I’m teaching a cardboard Halloween costume-making workshop at the Howard County Arts Council.”
Nick: “Painting suburban landscapes and abstracts, and trying to combine the two.”
Cori: “I’m participating in Color Columbia (plein air painting event) in October and exhibiting at the Columbia Art Center. I’m also working on a few commissions.”
Julie: “I’m co-writing and illustrating my first children’s book.”
While the Properties of Imagination exhibition may have closed, visitors and guests can still experience its creativity and imagination with our online photo gallery.