Artist Statement I aspire to empower people with my art by representing my subjects in a mythopoeic way. I paint portraits, carve wood sculptures and facilitate socially engaged arts & crafts projects. I consider a cross-disciplinary practice per se being conducive toward visual insights. In my paintings, I draw attention to the subjects’ inner wisdom arising from their unique life experiences. I paint portraits of the indignant, the resentful, the forgotten and those who forget. I observe and depict serendipitous encounters between the subjects and their everyday items. Symbolic “wallpapering” may further explore their personal emblematic realm. The underlying subtle intimacy is expressed by using a nature-inspired palette that combines earth tones with subdued reds and blues. To capture my subjects’ integrity in my art is the most rewarding part of my work. I look for the suddenness in the faces, gestures and interactions. Moments of authenticity when the observing eyes and the camera are forgotten. These moments are increasingly difficult to catch in a culture of selfies and edited avatars. I view landscapes as being portraits too, unique representations of Nature. I look for unusual genuine encounters. Where facial expressions and gestures communicate in a portrait, in landscape, there is light and movements of Nature. Landscapes are rich in serendipitous encounters, whilst immersion in the details offer the quirky and unexpected for my visual art explorations. The intricacy of wood always fascinated me though it took a long time to commit myself to this medium. I enjoy experimenting with various styles and techniques and constantly search for a visual language to explore enigmas of the psyche. (See more on wood sculptures here). I am also excited about creating art together with others, and when I have an opportunity I facilitate community art projects. Please visit my page on Social Art and the websites below. Wisening Gate, the title of the project my PhD research, was based within the interdisciplinary field of socially engaged arts & crafts and education, see www.wiseninggate.uk. My most current social art project is The Schoodio of Ryedale with the vision to make it a home of participatory arts & crafts. See www.schoodio.co.uk. Zita Baracsi-Plews (aka Zita Ra) I was born in Hungary. I studied pedagogy and became a Waldorf teacher. Nearly thirty years ago, my family moved to Britain and since then, I have been teaching arts & crafts to children and adults, including special needs and behaviour difficulties. In 2006, I received a sculptor diploma from Wirtschaftskammer, Vienna. In 2011, I completed an MA in Fine Art at the University of Brighton. Alongside teaching at schools, I have also been running woodcarving and sculpture courses at my own studio since 2006. I was awarded PhD in Arts & Crafts Education in 2020.