Crystal Jankiewicz, known professionally as Smushbox, has been creating art from her home studio in Hamtramck for the past 14 years, though she has been drawing her entire life. Inspired by video games, cartoons, and the occult, her work is often female-centric, featuring the female form, anthropomorphic characters, and unexpected color palettes that transform macabre subjects into something approachable and whimsical.
 

        Over the past 12 years, she has exhibited widely, attending numerous comic. oddities and horror conventions and participating in over 30 juried gallery shows, including two solo exhibitions. Notable appearances include Detroit’s Dirty Show (2014–present), Surreal Salon 9 at Baton Rouge Gallery, and Power in Numbers at Gallery Nucleus.