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For artist Aunia Kahn, finding her artistic voice meant letting go of the work others already knew. After 20 years of creating professionally, she reached a point where making art felt less like curiosity and discovery and more like chasing progress, meeting goals, and trying to get back to the technical skills she had before. Eventually, she realized that the work needed to feel like hers again.

That shift brought her back to what had always surrounded and inspired her: the maximalist colors of her home, the clothes she loved, the art she collected, and the folk art she had always been drawn to while growing up with Polish and German grandparents. After spending most of her career working primarily in digital art because of her allergies to traditional materials, she finally explored gentler mediums like watercolor. It felt almost like starting over, and through that process, she began creating work that felt more personal, playful, colorful, and connected to the world around her.

The result is a whimsical collection of colorful figures, animals, flowers, and symbols, each piece offering something new to notice. Take a look through the artworks below and explore the playful visual world Kahn found when she finally made art that felt like her own.

More info: auniakahn.com | Instagram | Facebook

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#1

Where The Eye Of The Heart Watches Over Every Living Thing

Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork of a woman holding a heart with an eye, surrounded by vibrant flowers and symbols.

auniakahn Report

17points
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Kahn says that this change came with a lot of rejection. She lost galleries, collectors, and more than half her following as she explored a more playful, personal style. She went back and forth between making the art she enjoyed and creating what clients and galleries wanted. In the end, she chose the joy of making art over outside approval - and slowly found a new audience that truly connected with her work.

Now, her contemporary folk-inspired and symbolist artworks offer a glimpse into that journey - a colorful, imaginative collection shaped by personal history, cultural influences, experimentation, and the freedom to create what feels true to her. Together, these pieces invite you into Aunia Kahn’s whimsical world of folk-inspired details, playful imagination, and color.
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    #2

    The Holy Act Of Refusing To Be Only One Thing

    Aunia Kahn artwork featuring folk-inspired symbolism, a woman with a cat mask, and a bird in a vibrant, imaginative scene.

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    17points
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    #3

    The Worlds Between Ask Nothing Of You Except Everything You Ever Were

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn portraying a woman in a red cape, holding a staff, with two masked figures and celestial motifs.

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    14points
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    #4

    The Impossible Physics Of Staying Whole

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn with a woman's head floating above a dress, a fox, and a running deer, conveying symbolism and imagination.

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    12points
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    #5

    Where Dreams Touch The Waking World

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork featuring a woman with dark hair, a crescent moon, and floral designs.

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    11points
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    #6

    When Understanding Becomes A Crown Of Fire

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork of a woman with long dark hair, a swan, and stylized marine life.

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    10points
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    #7

    Everything Starved Of Air Came Back Breathing Fire

    Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork featuring a woman in a red dress with golden sun rays, surrounded by nature and symbols.

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    10points
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    #8

    The Passage Between What Was And What Will Be

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn, showcasing a woman with a snake and birds, framed by vibrant flowers and traditional symbolism.

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    10points
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    #9

    The Whole Sky Happens Inside Us While We Stand Still

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork featuring a woman holding a mask, surrounded by flowers, a peacock, and a fish, rich with symbolism and imagination.

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    10points
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    #10

    Everything That Loved You Arrived Before You Knew You Needed It

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn featuring a woman with an arrow in her chest, surrounded by symbolic birds and intricate foliage.

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    10points
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    #11

    When The Tenderest Parts Of You Become The Reason Others Find Their Way Home

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork showing a woman in a skeleton dress, with storks and symbolic elements.

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    9points
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    #12

    Thoughtful Stewardship Of Anatomical Architecture

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn showing a woman with flowing dark hair, a golden halo, and surrounded by a swan and symbolic elements.

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    9points
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    #13

    We Holds Every Goodbye In Our Body Like A Landscape

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn depicting a woman with long dark hair, surrounded by symbols like skulls, poppies, and a landscape.

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    9points
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    #14

    Wearing The Rising Sun And Guarding The Door Of All Beginnings

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork depicting a woman with a red halo, surrounded by folk patterns and dancing frogs.

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    8points
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    #15

    Rooted In The Language Of Gilded Cages

    Imaginative Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork with a woman, a swan, and mystical creatures in a scene rich with symbolism.

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    5points
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    #16

    She Wore The Earthquake Like A Crown

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork featuring a woman with a halo, a bird, and a snake, amidst flowers, symbolizing tradition and imagination.

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    5points
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    #17

    The One Who Moves In Harmony With The Order Of All Things

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork depicting a woman with long hair, an owl, a fish, and falling rain, full of symbolism and imagination.

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    5points
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    #18

    Beloved Ghosts In The Sanctuary Of Memory

    Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork depicting a woman with a halo, birds, and skulls, rich in symbolism and imagination.

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    4points
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    #19

    Historical Altar Of One’s Own Becoming

    Aunia Kahn's folk-inspired artwork: a woman with flowing hair riding a red horse, surrounded by traditional symbolism and imagination.

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    4points
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    #20

    Everything That Matters Fits Inside That Little Box

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn: a red horse head sculpture with a heart, set in an imaginative nocturnal landscape with a bird.

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    3points
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    #21

    Threads Of Quiet Triumph Emerge Into Her Rooted Kingdom For Restless Garden

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn with a red-haired woman and a raven-like figure within an ornate, dark wooden frame.

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    3points
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    #22

    Between Earth And Ether Rain Becomes Stars

    Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork of a woman with long dark hair, set against a backdrop of clouds, stars, and flowers.

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    2points
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    #23

    Every Story She Finishes Returns To The Sky As A Star

    Aunia Kahn folk-inspired artwork: a woman reading with an owl and a raven, rich in traditions and symbolism.

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    2points
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    #24

    Sovereignty Circles The Ones Who Carry The Ancient Things

    Folk-inspired artwork by Aunia Kahn, a woman with long hair and a heart motif, surrounded by traditional symbolism and imagination.

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    2points
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