Focusing on portraiture, Atkin’s current work utilizes egg tempera to depict dreamlike moments that convey his subjects’ internal states of mind. Sitting in dialogue with Western painting precedents, Atkin tackles traditional themes and allegories through a contemporary lens. Through his use of line, color, and narrative, Atkin reveals that people are, in all their moments, more than they might seem to be.

The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program awards rent-free non-living studio space to 17 visual artists for year-long residencies in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Its mission is to provide working studio space and community for artists. Artists are selected annually based on merit from a competitive pool of applicants by a professional jury comprised of artists and members of the SWSP Artists Advisory Committee.

The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program is the new face of the Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Space Program, developed for artists, by artists in 1991. In 2014 the program was renamed the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program to honor the legacy of Marie Walsh Sharpe and reflect the new sponsorship and commitment of the Walentas Family Foundation.