Dustin’s artistic journey began with painting lessons from his grandmother, Peggy—a foundation that sparked a lifelong creative exploration. In school, he focused on music through marching band and theater, later diving into photography and jewelry design. Yet, painting remained a constant.

Today, Dustin specializes in commissioned abstract works and portraits. His abstracts blend color and texture to create mood-setting pieces, while his portraits range from realistic to surreal, tailored to each client.

His debut show, Squad (2015), featured iconic women’s portraits and sold nearly every piece. A proud advocate for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, Dustin’s values often shape his portfolio. He served on the Black Tie Dinner Board for eight years, co-chairing in 2023 and 2024.

As a creative director, he supports DFW clients with branding, photography, videography, and content design.

www.dustinvyers.com

Alongside Johnson’s tray art, local artists present new works inspired by his storytelling style and use of everyday objects. Their pieces offer a fresh perspective while celebrating the nostalgic charm at the heart of the exhibit.

As a Dallas-based artist, Alli specializes in crisp mural designs that can be found painted across the United States. With her skillset and years of experience, Alli has transformed her creativity and passion into a full-time, self-made career, earning her national recognition in the art world. She is a published author of 12 books and counting, including How to Draw Modern Florals and How to Draw All the Things for Kids, aiming to inspire others to explore art and illustration. Additionally, Alli uses her platform as a career artist to speak about business and entrepreneurship, whether on panels around the country or on her podcast, Breakfast with Sis, which she records with her dad on Saturday mornings.

Christopher Miller (CJ) founded and served as the creative director of Rainmaker Advertising for 25 years. In 2022, he transitioned to pursue his passion as a full-time artist, speaker, and writer, focusing on how creating art fosters spiritual growth. His book, The Spiritual Artist, is available on Amazon. He also produces The Spiritual Artist Podcast, where he shares stories of enlightenment and growth through conversations with today’s artists and thought leaders. He also leads Spiritual Artist Retreats and will be introducing the Creative Spirit Community at Unity of Dallas on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month beginning in August.

CJ has spoken at various art and spiritual centers, including the Church of One Love and the Center for Spiritual Living Dallas. He was honored to be the featured speaker for CC Young’s 2024 Spirit is Ageless Awards Reception & Celebration.

Emily Herrera is a Dallas Texas Artist and Interior Designer.  She has been a resident of Dallas since 2004, making it home after finishing her BFA at the University of North Texas.  Her goal as an artist is to create original works of art at affordable prices, encouraging people to fill their home with unique pieces.

Erin Newton is an contemporary artist whose practice explores the miracle of shared mood and experience reflected in nature, specifically drawing from the Southern Gothic aesthetic. Courting romance, conjuring mystery, and searching for hope, Erin’s ‘Ghost of Little Gem’ series stacks layers out of the depths of darkness and into the light by way of oil paint on larger canvas. For her ‘Negative Space is Positive’ series, Erin’s work is saturated in light, having found that moment of gratitude and joy. With the occasional variation of drying mediums to harness opaqueness and texture, the vehicle of mark making and tone, along with generational subject matter available to the Everyman, help to pinpoint a moment of substantial connectivity that can withstand periods in time where many look to unassuming beauty in nature for peace, shelter, and a little bit of magic. The painterly style is anchored in an effort to punctuate the medium’s organic qualities that contribute to the work as a whole. Erin’s work is inspired by a wide array of impressions left from literature, both prose and poetry, as well as her years growing up on a ranch in Central Texas. She studied studio paint at Texas Tech University. Her work in recent years has been selected for participation in juried selected and nationally ranked art festivals and has caught the attention and partnership of various business projects and endeavors. Her work has placed in groups shows and has been on display in a handful of galleries and public settings in the American South. She currently works and resides in the North Texas area.

Oliver trained at the Central School of Ballet, graduating with a BA(Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance. His ballet career includes performances with the State Ballet of Georgia under the direction of Nina Ananiashvili, as well as with Peter Schaufuss’s company, the English National Ballet, Company C Contemporary Ballet, and world tours of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” and Secret Cinema’s “Moulin Rouge.” He also spent over a decade performing in the seasonal Johann Strauss Gala. His artistic journey began in 2016 as a form of active therapy, an endeavour he had not pursued since secondary school. While performing in Secret Cinema’s “Moulin Rouge,” his mother encouraged him to apply for BBC One’s “Big Painting Challenge.” He participated in the show and ultimately won, which gave him the confidence to pursue a career as an artist. Since transitioning to art full-time, Oliver has had the opportunity to work with Virgin Voyages as their consultant artist for the Happenings cast, creating props and artwork for their ships. He also collaborates closely with a graphic design company in the UK to create images for branding new companies, including some work for Disney. He has participated in multiple art events, including live painting exhibitions. In 2023, he was awarded the Queer Britain Art Award, and his work was showcased at Cristine’s Auction House in London.

Taylor Paladino began with a single set of watercolor paintings. I took up painting as a way to relax during a period of profound change – I had left Arkansas and moved to Dallas, TX for the summer before my freshman year at Stanford University. My godparents saw my colorful designs and encouraged me to create a stationery set out of them. Since that first card set, we have grown into a national brand with my art on products in stores around the country!

Florence Goss is a 24 year old painter originally from Los Angeles, CA. She’s been creating art for 10 years, and her main inspirations are the beauty of nature, and reflecting a soul through portraiture. Oil paint and gouache paint are her preferred media. A focus of hers is painting nature “En Plein Air”, all of which you will see featured on her Instagram page.

Dallas area visual artist Alan Smith’s artistry on canvas and wood panels are dynamic yet soulful to the eye. Bringing a wide variety of layered colors and textures to the medium, he creates a unique visual experience. With a degree in the fine arts from the University of Texas, his work is displayed private and public venues nationwide.

“I am a eclectic artist who experiments in numerous medias. When I am in the studio, time disappears as I become engaged with the art. I find myself particularly influenced by the abstract expressionist style of painting at this juncture; the raw emotion and energy that comes out when I’m painting mystifies and excites me.

When I begin an abstract painting, I always start by noticing which primary color I’m being drawn to on that day, and that’s where I begin by working with that particular color. I have no attachment to ( and usually no idea) of the final outcome. I relax into a meditation state and allow whatever wants to come forth to be expressed through the language of the acrylic paint. After that, it’s up to the viewer to interpret what is revealed on the canvas. The titles I give my paintings are also completely abstract and open to interpretation.”

His paintings have color that play and work together underneath the surface to create an artistic expression of feelings. Many of his paintings have no shape, no boundaries ….only an outpouring of emotion represented through color.

214.534.5657
AlanRSmithartist@gmail.com