On the Cover

For cover artist Shey Rivera Ríos, it’s all about community. “I create in all kinds of art forms; I really love performance and visual art,” they say, adding, “All of […]

In her compositions, multimedia artist Alejandra Spruill of Orange, MA, focuses on contrast. “I look for things that don’t go together, but create a whole,” she says. For example, Spruill […]

When cover artist Esther Helas of Providence was in high school, her biology teacher caught her drawing in class. One day the teacher, Edwin Yoo, handed her a sketchbook and […]

The cover artist for the Queer issue took their name from their favorite dinosaur, the Tyrannosaurus rex. Rex LeBeau of Newport, for as long as they can remember, loved dinosaurs. […]

Illustrator and animator Georgia Darley Oldham of Providence doodled her way onto the cover of Motif’s Summer Guide. When she received the assignment from art director Olivia Lunger, Oldham started […]

“As an artist, you need to have an open mind to learn and grow,” says Motif cover and tattoo artist Jay Blackburn of Pawtucket, “You’re constantly learning,” he emphasizes. Speaking […]

Appropriately, artist and writer Kim Arthurs of Providence created a garden dreamscape for the cover of the outdoors issue. They used a technique called cyanotype, which incorporates the elements of […]

Hiya! I’m the Art Director for Motif, doubling as the cover artist for this issue. Here’s a little dispatch from my side of things. The themes for this issue morphed […]

A few months ago, cover artist Grechel Rosado of Providence felt like she was burning out. Creating a piece of art every month, while juggling a full-time job, was becoming […]