Cover Art: Rebuilding Self

Painting with bright pink background, featuring vibrant blue, yellow, black, and green shapes

“Rebuilding Self,” 12×16 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2021

Nikita Ares was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, a beautiful city in the Northern region of Mindanao. In 2018, she graduated cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. She immigrated with her family from the Philippines to Seattle, Washington eight years ago. The wistful longing for her homeland inspired Nikita to want to share the vibrant energy of the Philippines. Nikita’s colorful and vibrant art strives to capture beauty amid the vicissitudes of life by painting abstractions from intimate moments. She integrates her past experiences through her creative process, revealing a kaleidoscoping universe of meaning, vulnerability, and interpretations.