--- Art: noun \ˈärt\ 1: something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings. --- Can art be defined?  As an abstract concept possibly but on a personal level the definition of art can be as diverse as the viewer.  In that vein we have decided to ask some of our favorite artists to tell us what Art means to them.  Here's what they've said:

Aurel Schmidt is an artist from Kamloops, BC, Canada currently working out of New York City who embodies luscious fruits and organic vegetables with leafy vaginas and other various private body parts. Aurel Schmidt is truly one of a kind and you can see her previous Empty Kingdom feature from September 2010.

"With a creative concept based primarily on human representation, I try to tell stories through a minimalist and subtle vision. My current work is focuses on a simple but realistic drawing and worked in an impressionist technique, complex and very accurate as pointillism or stippling art. I like to talk about love, disappointment, nature, childhood… and I show it in a glance, a gesture or a detail as if it were a metaphor of life." -Pablo Jurado Ruiz, Madrid, Spain

Erin Riley currently has several pieces at Empty Kingdom's Summer Show at 111 Minna.  In order to show everything that goes into one of her insightful and relevant tapestries, we have asked Erin to takes us along on the ride.  The life of 'History 37' follows as well as her thoughts throughout:

Jo In Hyuk is an illustrator/graphic designer from Seoul, South Korea who draws fashion influenced designs. Mr. Hyuk's craftsmanship is so clean, precise, and diverse from cross hatching to minimal line drawings.

Sophie Kahn  is a sculptor that combines digital and analog technology such as 3-d laser printing and ancient bronze casting to create stunning, fragmented figures. As she states "they engage questions of time, history, vision, identity and the body." She recently received her MFA in Art & Technology Studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and has been featured in a number of gallery shows across the United States. ENJOY!

ELiza Bennett is a London based artist who recieved a BTEC National Diploma in art, focusing on textiles. She then continued to pursue a BA in Fashion Design at Middlesex University.

Federico Hurtado is a collage artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina who combines classic portraits and vintage floral designs that results to beautiful otherworldly visuals.

Christopher Schulz is a native Los Angeles based sculptor/installation artist who creates contemporary firearms morphed with sea dwelling sharks.

Jordan Kasey is a surreal/fine art painter from Baltimore, Maryland who currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

It wasn't until the mid 1990s that Robert C. Jackson settled into painting as a career. Taking his experiences as an engineer and pastor, Jackson creates Realist paintings littered with popular American brands and objects. Seemingly playful at first, they are highly sophisticated and controlled, with imagery akin to Koons and Johns, although each piece is uniquely Jackson's own. Read an interview with Robert here. ENJOY!

Italian artist Vittorio Ciccarelli experiments in all fields of photography and his series entitled "Amabili Resti" presents classical paintings in a simple yet varied juxtapositions. He was also featured back in November 2013.

Edie Nadelhaft is a painter and sculptor based in New York, NY. She received an BFA in 1995 from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston.

Alyssa Monks' ability to interpret impressive realism using minimum detail, makes her an exceptional artist. It's no wonder she's had two features on EK on March 2010 and May 2012 and an interview on June 2011. Not only that, she has been a part of our Empty Kingdom's Top 100 lists of 2010 and 2012 respectively. Here is a combination of her latest work as well as a look at her earlier stuff.

"Man has always used natural elements for decorative purposes, often exploiting and modifying the nature to his own taste, with the only intent of owning the beauty. I have always admired with wonder and respect the nature, I believe that it is the greatest expression of beauty, that kind of beauty that satisfies the senses, that kind of beauty that only art can approach. That’s the reason why in my work I take inspiration from natural forms, repurposing them through a decorative key that preserves the elegance and poetry. A contemporary “Cabinet of Curiosity” where nature is respected not defaced, reproducing the essence by fragile and transparent shapes." -Simone Crestani, Venice, Italy