Meet the Artists 2025 - #4
This year’s Furnished for Good event is tomorrow, May 2 at Next Fab. Last but certainly not least, we will showcase our last three artists who have created pieces for the upcoming event and auction. This year, we are collaborating with 15 local artists selected by our Guest Curators, Damon Reaves and Lawren Alice. Each of these artists works with different mediums, has diverse styles, and offers new perspectives through their artwork. Our final featured artists—Laura Lyn Stern, Sharon Ostrow, and S. Jenx—each brought their unique perspective to life through sculptural lighting pieces. From mosaic and encaustic to experimental photography, their lamps transform everyday function into expressive art. Check them out today!
Get your tickets to Furnished for Good on May 2nd below and bid on pieces today! Bidding closes at 8pm EST on Friday May 2nd, 2025.
Laura Lyn Stern
Laura Lyn Stern is an artist and art educator who resides and maintains a studio in Philadelphia, Pa. Her formal education includes receiving a BFA in Textile Design from Moore College of Art, an MA in Ceramics from Purdue University and an MFA in Ceramic Sculpture from Louisiana State University. Ongoing intensive studies in kiln formed glass at Bullseye Resource Center, Pittsburgh Glass Center and Urban Glass in addition to her natural curiosity fuels a vibrant studio practice.
Laura Lyn is currently an Artist in Residence and Teaching Artist at sites across the Philadelphia region. She leads adult workshops at Fleisher Art Memorial, Tacony LAB, Center on the Hill, Peters Valley, Touchstone and has taught at several art centers throughout the Philadelphia region. Working with students on large scale mural projects is her specialty.
Stern's mixed media mosaic artwork takes several forms including creating commissioned residential and commercial installations, free form panels, sculptures and wearable jewelry. Always searching for new ways to express timeless concepts, experimentation with new and unusual materials and processes are her passion and ongoing artistic journey. Laura crafted a beautiful mosaicked lamp that would be the perfect addition to your bedroom or home office—bid on it now!
S. Jenx
@heathenworldwide on Instagram
From the second he heard the click of a camera's shutter at a young age, Sean Jenkins aka S. Jenx fell in love with the entire process of image-making. Throughout grade school and high school he soaked in every possible creative outlet, learning every medium he could get his hands on.
After graduating with a degree in Fine & Performing Art, Jenkins went on to teach college photography, darkroom, studio lighting, video editing & various art history courses. Around this time, he started to notice his vision was on the decline & shortly after was diagnosed with a genetic disease that caused massive scarring in both of his eyes. Despite the obvious challenges of being a visually impaired artist Jenx developed an artist collective (The Fall Studios), a gallery space (The Aktion Gallery), continued creating personal work, and received his Masters in Photography from SCAD. Even after finding scleral contacts to aid in everyday life, Jenx would strive for years to create work that mimicked how he was seeing the world through his eyes; through various mediums, processes and unconventional lens combinations, he found specific techniques that did.
Fast-forward a bit and focus on current post-pandemic living where society thrives on overstimulation & the illusion of perfection in a vast digital world; Jenx draws influence from the days when art was found, collaged together, scratched out, marked up and photocopied. A time when making beauty out of that chaos was just what you did. S. Jenx refurbished a vintage floor lamp with clear globes displaying preserved flowers and moss, paired with a coordinating swing-arm lamp featuring a custom shade with a botanical silhouette design. Bid on that piece and more today!
Sharon Ostrow
Sharon Ostrow is a mixed media, encaustic and assemblage artist. Her academic degrees and professional experience are in the Criminal Justice field. She taught at Temple University in Philadelphia and Rome before retiring in 2019. During those years, Sharon built a relationship with the Mural Arts Restorative Justice Program. Sharon maintained an art practice throughout her life. It wasn't until she retired that she was able to devote herself to art full time. Sharon's foundation was based on studying art studio courses and art history at Phila. Community College, PAFA and local art centers. She's attended an art residency in Costa Rica and studied encaustic techniques in New Mexico, North Carolina and Ontario, Canada. At the same time, became inspired by items from flea markets and vintage shops. I was curious about the cultural history and purpose of each object. What was the original function and how can I adapt them into something new?
Regardless of medium, Sharon relies on the materials to reveal the creative journey. Can I tell a new story from old curiosities? A lifetime of listening to family folklore, seeing collectibles and vintage photographs captured my imagination. I am drawn to the tradition of storytelling. Her mother's stories reinforced the magic found in nostalgia and hopeful times. Sharon's work involves meticulous research of specific historical periods or topics. Inclusion of vintage papers, images, or items builds the mystery and aura for visual experience. The final interpretation of any artistic work is up to you, the viewer. Sharon created a stunning assemblage lamp illuminated with a red bulb in a handpainted shade. Check it out here!
Get your tickets to Furnished for Good on May 2nd below and bid on pieces today! Bidding closes at 8pm EST on Friday May 2nd, 2025.
