Kim Cohen's connection to art began at age seven, when she won a national drawing contest. That early recognition set her on a path she has followed ever since. After earning a Bachelor's degree in Art Education from the University of Maryland, she went on to teach art at Walt Whitman High School, where she prepared students for college art programs and professional careers. She later founded Cutie Pie, a children's clothing and accessories company for which she designed original pieces sold to retailers.
Today, Kim runs a private art studio in Potomac, Maryland, where she teaches individual and small group classes to adults of varying abilities. Meditation and mindfulness are central to her teaching approach, and she continues to pursue her own art education, currently studying under a master artist.
Her work spans oil, acrylic, mixed media, and digital art. Her paintings are characterized by bold pops of color and an ability to capture the realistic essence of her subjects. They are currently featured at art shows, restaurants, and private residences across the country. Beyond her studio practice, Kim regularly donates proceeds from her work to a range of organizations, including Power of Pink Breast Cancer, Adoptions Together, Cystic Fibrosis, Keen, and local school auctions. www.kimcohen.com/book-online Address:12430 Park Potomac Ave Potomac
Tara Andris works in oil and has built her practice around the observation of the sky. Her landscapes are inspired by locations including Sonoma, Sarasota, and Calistoga, and are driven by the shifting light, color, and mood of the atmosphere. Since 2006, metal leaf has been a defining element of her work. She uses both gold and silver leaf to reflect the luminous quality of clouds and changing light. As natural light moves through a room, her paintings shift and glimmer in response, creating an effect that changes throughout the day. Each piece is intended to bring calm and a sense of connection to the space it occupies.
Rashin Kheiriyeh brings a global perspective to this group. Born in Iran, she has spent over 25 years working as an illustrator, author, animator, and painter, accumulating a body of work that spans continents and cultures. She has published 100 children's books in countries including the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, the UAE, Ukraine, Turkey, Spain, South Korea, China, Brazil, India, and Iran. Her client list includes the New York Times, Google, Scholastic, Penguin Random House, and the Kennedy Center.
Rashin has received 50 national and international awards over the course of her career. She received nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, one of the most prestigious honors in children's literature, in both 2023 and 2024. Her additional accolades include the 2022 Anne Izard Storyteller's Choice Award, the 2021 Sheila Barry Award for Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year, the 2017 Sendak Fellowship Award in New York, the 2011 Golden Apple Award from the Bratislava Illustration Biennial, and the 2009 New Horizon Award from the Bologna Book Fair. Her work has been featured in both The New Yorker and The New York Times. She is also the character artist for Sugarland/Shekarestan, a popular animation series that airs on national television in Iran. Her acrylic paintings draw on her Iranian heritage and are noted for their resemblance to the walls of old Persian castles.
Maria-Victoria Checa is a French-born, DC-based painter who transitioned to a full-time studio practice in January 2022, after teaching mathematics at American University and Montgomery College. She works in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, creating both abstract and impressionist pieces. Rather than using traditional brushes, she works primarily with painting knives and squeegees to build her compositions. Her abstract works are constructed around hyper color contrast, dynamic composition, and spontaneity. Her impressionist landscapes feature imaginary forests, lily pads, florals, and outdoor scenes. Prints of her work are available for purchase and she ships worldwide.
Kim Cohen: kimcohen.com | @kcohenart Tara Andris: taraandris.com | @taraandrisart Rashin Kheiriyeh: rashinart.com | @rashin.kheiriyeh Maria-Victoria Checa: mvchecaart.com | @mvcheca.art
One hundred children's books, fifty international awards, metal leaf skies, and bold pops of color. Four women. One extraordinary artistic vision.