Featured Artists -

Our direct relationships with a growing network of established and emerging Chicago artists provides a truly exciting, diverse and tangible selection of art.

 
  Below are featured artists from ART LOCAL's artist network.  Click on each image to learn more about the artist and his/her work.

Art Local stays connected with a growing network of emerging and establish

Jenny Learner<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "Red Planet"<br> Encaustic and Watercolor Collage on Hardboard<br> 24" x 32"<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> Jenny Learner is a native Chicagoan who has been making art her entire life. She gains inspiration for her new work from earth’s multiple landscapes and wonders including raw gemstones, outer space, time, medicine, life, dreams, hope, and cells. The photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and the Hubble telescope’s imagery of the Universe endlessly muse her. Further curious and fascinated with evolution, anthropology and time, as an artist Jenny is grateful to be living in this digital age with resources at her fingertips.
Cesar Conde<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "Abuela"<br> Mixed Media, Oil, Charcoal, Graphite on Canvas<br> 60" x 72 "<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> Cesar Conde is a Chicago-based representational artist. He is working on a series called "Sustaining Humanity". These paintings are from photo documents he has taken in his travels. In advent of eco-consciousness, Cesar wants to focus on "Humanity". These paintings are of the working poor, the aged, the weak, the poor, the marginalized. "Humanity" is an endangered ideal which I would like to preserve through dialogue between the audience (their experience) and the canvas.
Caryn Mitchell<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "Making Up" from the Intimate Conversations Series<br> Mosaic created with casted stoneware profiles of people’s faces, assorted gemstones, stone, marble, Italian glass and gold<br> 16" x 20"<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> Creating is an integral part of my life. It is what moves and shapes it – stretches my imagination, augments my perspective and shows me that keen observation is a necessity to see, feel, hear, smell, taste and tap into my intuition continually. This process opens doors to my mind’s eye, showing me the many aspects of life that make me whole, the sum of the parts that connect me to a greater Essence.<br> <br> If there is one thing I know, life and ideas change in the process of Creation. My artwork speaks in metaphor. It is expressionistic at best, taking on many forms and combining archetypes in a contemporary format. It is a study of relationships by innate design.<br> <br> Art is a dialogue that is created between the artist and herself and the artist and the world. With a big imagination, perseverance, curiosity and love, a mosaic is born.
Maureen Cuison<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "Ferris Wheel"<br> Platinum Print<br> 4" x 5"<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> Growing up in the Philippines surrounded with beautiful mountains is what inspired me to become a landscape photographer. Although Chicago is much different from where I grew up, this place is what I call home. There's nothing better than summertime in Chicago, and the Taste of Chicago is one of my favorite summer events. This photo was taken in 2004. At the time, I was still in school at SAIC, which is only a few steps away from where they hold the Taste every year.
Corinne D. Peterson<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "Bone Interior"<br> Stoneware Clay<br> 18" x 9" x 9"<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> Art-making for me is a force for developing connections between past and present, opposing forces of nature, between the intellect and subconscious, and between me and my materials. I am drawn to architectural, archeological and natural structures, from the deteriorating walls of old Chicago to the ancient standing stones I’ve seen in England. In my newest columns and other structures, I explore their inner spaces in contrast to the outer surfaces. I strip away much of the overt symbolism to work mainly with the forms.
Jen Rosenthal<br> Chicago, IL<br> <br> "LIfe is Everywhere"<br> 10" x 8"<br> Thread and Ink on Vellum<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> My art is all about the process. It's my meditation, my therapy, my Zen. My primary focus deals with the internal discovery/journey and the exploration of the dualities of life and Self. Combined, repetitive themes of fear and hope, uncertainty and freedom, and growth and decay can be found throughout my work.<br> <br> With an unyielding supply of optimism, self-doubt, and "what ifs" rattling around in my head, I hope to engage and relate to the world around me via common themes of the human condition; letting life's triumphs and struggles inspire creative momentum and a renewed sense of direction.
Michael Birnbaum<br> Skokie, IL<br> <br> "Well on the Road"<br> Acrylic and Metallic Glaze on Canvas<br> 26"x 16"<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> My art reflects a lifetime interest in the transcendence that occurs when images evoke both an aesthetic response as well as a spiritual feeling. In my most recent series of paintings, I am working with metallic and acrylic glazing techniques in a way the brings a layering effect that suggests mystery, nature and physical beauty. I have studied for 40 years to express work of rhythm, vibrancy and meaning in painting, sculpture and printmaking.
Ted Glasoe<br> Evanston, IL<br> <br> "6:53 to Chicago"<br> Color Photography<br> <br> Artist Statement:<br> <br> I love the way photography can capture a moment and hold it forever. From our most cherished memories to images that revolt or disturb, a photograph doesn't let us forget. Of course, there is a huge continuum between those extremes, and this is where I find the greatest challenge. I seek out extraordinary images in the landscape of our everyday lives. Sometimes it's a quick and fleeting moment that otherwise goes unnoticed: a bolt of lightning over the lake, a bird feeding its young, a smile between strangers. Other times it's simply a pattern in nature—like flowers we routinely pass—or the way late afternoon light illuminates a favorite building. All are moments captured in an instant but there to see and experience again and again in a photograph.