Jeff Snell, who creates works in vibrant mixed media, accurately describes his pieces as “windows into volatile spaces.”

He will often begin by just looking at a blank canvas for a long time, before “attacking it abstractly” and applying various materials. Snell takes photographs, manipulates them in Photoshop, and then collages them onto the canvas, where he’ll paint over and around them. He’s constantly experimenting with different techniques while allowing for unintended surprises to happen along the way.

The result is a cohesive juxtaposition of wildly imaginative abstract imagery and soothingly tranquil open spaces, as the canvas shifts between dimensional and textural surfaces. As Snell explains, “The environments have a tumultuous landscape feel — enchanted places with pockets of lushness and calm. But there’s lots of movement and swirling energy in a state of flux, just like real life.