2026

Artist of the Month 

September

ARTIST OF THE MONTH PHOEBE TRITES Phoebe Trites is an 18-year-old emerging artist based in Topeka, Kansas, whose work explores landscapes, nature, fantasy, and abstract imagination. Born with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele and hydrocephalus, and living with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia, Phoebe has developed a distinctive creative perspective shaped by her experiences. For her, art is both a healing outlet and a way to communicate ideas, emotions, and stories through color, movement, and visual expression. Phoebe primarily works in acrylic on canvas, occasionally incorporating mixed media such as pencil, archival ink, watercolor, markers, and glitter to create layered, expressive compositions. Her work is often inspired by natural environments, animals, fantasy imagery, and imaginative abstract worlds. She is a studio artist at the Avant Garde Underground studio within the NOTO Arts Center in Topeka, where she regularly paints publicly on Friday afternoons and Saturdays and enjoys speaking with visitors about her creative process. She is also pursuing formal studio art education at Washburn University. Phoebe’s artwork has received regional, national, and international recognition. Her work has appeared in UDD3R and The Big Book of Tiny Creatives – Edition 2, and she participated in the Aaron Douglas Art Fair and Holiday Extravaganza in 2025. Most recently, her painting Calm Flight of Imagination was selected for Abstract Zone 2026, an international juried online exhibition presented by Vancouver-based Exhibizone.Among works by 224 independent artists worldwide, it ranked sixth during opening week and fourth overall by the exhibition’s conclusion.