Artists 2024

I am a dentist, but I have been painting as a hobby since I was a kid.

I got began in my freshman year of high school. Over other artistic mediums and methods, I lean toward realism.

I started drawing in primary school in Egypt. I studied in the school of Fine Art at Helwan University. I participated in galleries and won awards for drawing, oil painting, and sculpture. I have done restoration of Coptic icons and sculptures for churches and government buildings. Currently I am using mixed media and artificial intelligence to create experimental images and videos. My YouTube channel is Sami Hanna.

I’ve been photographing since I was 15 years old (ten years now). I started with a simple point and shoot camera, learning as I went along through trial and error, as well YouTube and other tutorials. I enjoy religious and travel photography. The two photos I’d like to submit are from my recent trip to Jerusalem. I’ve had the privilege of having my work featured in AIH in previous years and hope I can this year as well!

Our artistic journey, which began in high school, has evolved into a lifelong hobby and passion that my friend and I share. From our early days as kids, we’ve taken joy in intertwining nature and art, using our creativity as a medium to connect with others and to glorify God.

Shady began his formal artistic instruction in the Art Magnet Program at Dickinson High School in Jersey City, studying Commercial Art Technology. He then majored in Graphic Design and Illustration at NJCU. Now in his third year, he has switched his major to Architecture. His first artistic memory is drawing St. Abanoub and St. Mina during a blackout in Egypt. In 2005, Shady was featured in an art show at City Hall in Jersey City. Always challenging himself, his favorite medium is a permanent black Sharpie as it is unforgiving towards mistakes.

Always loved drawing/ Painting

I have loved to draw ever since the moment I could pick up a pencil. I was mesmerized by the beauty of God’s creation all around me and influenced by the art created by my grandparents and uncle. I began to teach myself how to draw and paint by looking up videos and seeking advice from others as well as experimenting with different supplies. When Father Giurguis tasked me to draw Saint George or Pope Shenouda III, I worked even harder to improve my skills and little did I know my journey was just beginning. Art is beautiful in that it makes you analyze the world around you. It makes you notice how detailed and impressively complex God’s creations are. Noticing these things is so very beautiful and drawing them in an art piece allows me to be at peace and keeps me connected with God.

I started drawing since I was a little kid and fell in love with art from a young age. Art for me is a very pure and precious Godly gift; to be able to create something out of nothing. Art is a language of the soul, it inspires and speaks to us on a deeper level of understanding and feeling.  To me, It’s the most satisfying means of communication, and to share it with everyone around me fills me with great joy.

I have always been into art and it is my favorite thing to do. But as of 2022 I went to many churches in Egypt and fell in love with Coptic icons and then I helped the nuns paint in anaphora. Ever since I have been learning about Coptic icons and learning how to paint them and the meaning behind it.

I have been an illustrator since childhood. I was inspired by animation and comic books. I have been a published cartoonist and illustrator in small print run periodicals and books. I have done illustrations for churches and Coptic groups in New Jersey. Art remains a hobby for me, unrelated to my day job which is in law and banking. Thanks to the Art in Heaven program for allowing me to take this opportunity to praise God through my art.

I’ve been drawing since I was a wee child, for as long as I can remember! It’s always been my way to express my imagination, thoughts, and feelings. I have only recently been inspired to make art to glorify God after a life-changing trip to Egypt with Fr. Youhanna Gobran from MA, who took us to many monasteries and showed us a variety of traditional Coptic Christian artwork.

I’m a mom of two (ages 10&7) and a Mixed Media artist who makes “”soul-scapes”” surreal landscapes that express my mind, heart and spirit and my response to nature. I’ve been an artist for many years, I have a bachelors in Studio Art. I was born in Alexandria Egypt, raised in Calif and moved to Texas in 2007. I live in the Northwest area of Houston. I make mixed media paintings with acrylic, collage, oil stick, found objects, cold wax and sometimes encaustic. They have many layers and textures. I call them ‘soulscapes.’ As a former art therapist my work is informed by the healing power of Art. I play in the studio with the various materials with curiosity to problem solve whatever feelings or life issues at present. The resolve is the painting, a psychological topography moving from despair to hope, darkness to light.

I am a fine arts major currently in a community college but I plan on moving to a 4 year college by next fall to get a B.F.A. and focus on starting a career in art curating. Art has always been something I am passionate about not because I think I am a good artist but it has always been something that was there for me my entire life. I started playing with paint when I was a toddler because many family members in Egypt would buy it for me and I instantly fell in love with it and its texture. As a kindergartner in Egypt, I had an art class in the school and it was one of the many subjects I looked forward to. When I was seven, I came to America and still enjoyed my art classes in school because it gave me a sense of freedom after a long day of listening to many rules. I had my first sketch book in 5th grade and I started practicing the clarinet for the school band. In middle school I hit an all time low because I had gotten accepted to a new academic school and I felt alienated and I couldn’t find a specific group to stick with and I no longer felt like art gave me that freedom. I still watched tutorials by cartoon artists and practiced even though I wasn’t perfect. I took a bit of a break from art and stopped practicing on the clarinet months before graduating middle school. In high school, I was able to get back into art and I had a more supportive community there that helped me excel in my craft. I was told by my art teacher to enter the Hudson County Alliance of Teen Artists and I got a top honors medal. I realized through high school and in college that my art doesn’t just have to be paintings and focused on realism, it is more important that I can bring something new to the table and express myself through it. I have started looking at other mediums and themes in art. I have taken a ceramics class in college which helped me dive into my first new medium. Art has not only become a safety blanket for me but also my life. I fully believe that my art has kept me alive and free. Thank you.

My interest in art began when I was 8.  It sort of came out of the blue and was a hobby I randomly decided to pursue more in-depth.  From that point, I continued practicing and creating for the next 9 years.  In my senior year of high school, I took AP Studio Art where we were to compile a portfolio centered around a theme.  I decided to create pieces about my experience in the Coptic Church and aspects of our faith.  I worked with a variety of mediums and concepts as I explored my faith and place in the church. I am blessed to be able to share some of my work with the community. 

I’m an engineer, and on my free time I like to make things. I really got into wood carvings. I like that most of my projects are unique. Instagram: @amar.io_workshop

I’ve always liked art from a young age. I think its a great way to allow individuals to communicate ideas, emotions, and perspectives through different forms of art.

As a lawyer, I work to craft the right words to express my thoughts as clearly as possible. Art allows me to do the same thing but in a more subtle manner. The Coptic church uses art as a teaching tool, and I try to carry this same spirit in whatever I create.

My name is Rose and I’m from New York. Creating artwork through iconography has helped me connect with my faith and express myself in ways that I cannot with words. Coptic Orthodox icons help me communicate the truths about my faith without words. The precious theology of the church is contained in our icons. I love using mediums like gold leaf to illuminate the light that our faith brings to the world.

I have always loved art, but became enamoured with iconography since my best friends have taken it on as a career. Working with them and learning from them has enriched my love for glorifying God through art in many forms. I love art because it allows me the capacity to partake with God in the role of “creator” – what an honour! God shows us the beauty of creation an art is just one of many ways to glorify Him by making beautiful things. I pray that anyone who looks at my art is redirected towards the Creator of all.

While Michael primarily identifies as a musician, he has been drawing since childhood. Michael pursued his passion by studying Art History, 2D Design, 3D Design, Paint and Ceramics. Michael graduated from Rutgers University with a minor in Music and a major in Philosophy. Michael, listing his influences as Caravaggio, Titian and Dali, incorporates contrasts, diagonals, black and perspective into his own unique technique. In this exhibit, he recalls his earliest inspirations of heavenly imagery and unites them with his latest and chief media.

I am 28 years old, graduated with a degree in philosophy, and began drawing as a hobby in 2015 when I started college. It all started as a doodle with graphite sketches, but through practice and encouragement from friends and family, I continued and improved to create charcoal portraits.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071205393904

Hobbyist Photographer that picked up a camera one day and hasn’t put it down. Religious photography has been one of my favorites since capturing any form of prayer brings one closer to God. In the last few years I’ve been chasing the moon and stars and found it as a form to praise God in all things. ‘s creation. Although photography is not her a career at this time, she hopes to continue to develop this talent and make it more than a hobby.