NAP Grant Workshop Reception

I received a generous Neighborhood Arts Program (NAP) grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events to teach two six-week watercolor classes to low-income seniors living in public housing as a follow-up to the workshop I offered last year (also supported by a NAP grant). The first set of classes took place at CHA Hattie Callner Senior Apartments. Thanks to intern Nikki for assisting me with the class.

The class culminated in an exhibition in which the six artists' work was framed and displayed. I had a lot of fun working with the elder artists, many of whom had never taken an art class before, and was warmed to see how proudly they showed off their work at the reception. We were delighted when Congressman Mike Quigley stopped by to support the exhibition.

A Student with the City of Chicago Cultural Grants Coordinator Meg

A Student with Congressman Quigley

My Class

Summer 2011 Corporate Chalk Art

Worked on several corporate chalk art projects this summer with Tracee and my summer interns Nikki and Jacq.

NALCO
We were hired by the HR department at NALCO to help create excitement for an upcoming employee expo. We did two separate installations on their campus using their tree logo.


"Life, health and nature are too precious to waste."


"Create your difference."

Cochlear
Cochclear hired us to create a US map, highlighting the cities on their current "Hearing Health Tour." They were hosting clients at a trade show. This is on the wall outside "Lizzie McGuires" in Streeterville.


Northwest Community Hospital
Northwest Community Hospital hired us to create block party activities and a welcome sign at the Mt. Prospect block party. They are opening a new clinic there.

Introducing Interlocking Portraits

I am thrilled to present the first of my Interlocking Portraits™, a unique approach to portraiture I created for a client who wanted a family portrait that could ultimately be gifted to each of her four children. Designed to hang together, this modular oil portrait can be enjoyed by the entire household, but can be divided and given to family members as they move away from home, go off to college, or start their own families, allowing each of them to keep part of the cherished portrait.

This portrait was created with the Renaissance technique of grisaille (griz-eye) painting. The initial painting was executed in gray tones ranging in values from dark to light and sometimes warm to cool. Transparent oil color glazes are then applied over the finished grisaille painting to complete the piece. Click here to see the tonal underpainting painting.

The four oil paintings featured here are of a Lincoln Park family on their roof deck and are each 4-5 feet tall.

Pavement Chalk Art London: A Proposal

This 17-foot-wide chalk mural took us ten hours to complete on July 3rd. We were commissioned by a romantic young fellow whose girlfriend loves London. He used the chalk art to propose to her. We also made a scavenger-hunt-like trail of chalk art leading from her house to the mural.

Watch the video to see the project evolve.

I had a fabulously talented and fun group of artists working with me--Tracee, summer interns Nikki and Jacq, and special guest Henry.

I Heart Mayor Daley

Studio assistant Tracee Badway and I spent all day Sunday, April 17, chalking these "I heart Mayor Daley" badges around the city for Walter E. Smith furniture. They wanted to honor Mayor Daley. Ten hours on our hands and knees, and 30 badges later, it snowed of course.

Chalkart at the Home and Houseware Show: The Sequel

After the success of last year's chalkart, Bialetti asked me to create another promotional piece for their annual booth at the "International Home and Houseware Show" at McCormick Place. This board features Top Chef fan favorite Fabio Viviani, who led cooking demos in the booth throughout the week, advertising Bialetti's Aeternum cookware line. Worked with Tracee.


Tracee and I got a hug from the real Fabio. He is very charming!

Public School Murals

Outdoor Mural

As a Latin School of Chicago service project, Tracee and I led Latin volunteers in the transformation and repainting of the crumbling planters outside of McCutcheon Elementary School (August 2010). McCutcheon students joined in the painting when the school year started.

Update: We returned in August 2011 to seal and weatherproof the planters. We were thrilled to hear that McCutcheon had experienced an increase in enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year. Local families have a choice between McCutcheon and another public school, and the principal credited McCutcheon’s increased enrollment to our work to beautify the school.

Indoor Mural

In February, Tracee and I volunteered to create this mural in the stairwell at McCutcheon elementary school. Inspired McCutcheon students helped with the design. The mural was completed over the course of five Saturdays, thanks to our many volunteers, including McCutcheon middle schoolers and highschoolers from the Latin School of Chicago as part of their service learning. Special thanks to artist and Latin teacher David Marshall for his dedication to the project. Click here to see how the project developed from initial sketches to a completed mural with the help of enthusiastic student volunteers.

Volunteers at Work

Thoughtful Friends

The 10" x 14" oil portrait of this handsome jovial man has a nice story to go along with it. It is a little hard to explain but stick with me...

Two 40-something men, one of whom I've know since highschool, contacted me to create a portrait as a gift for their good friend who just lost his father to illness.

The grieving friend's father had always hung a painted portrait of his father (the grandfather) in his office at work. That old portrait, smiling down on the father as he worked, brought back fond memories and served as a source of inspiration and solace.

So these two 40-something men, along with several other long time buddies, wanted to give their grieving friend the same feeling of his father smiling down upon him. We worked from multiple photos and met several times during the process to ensure a good likeness. Now their grieving friend has a portrait of his father, just like his father did--the tradition continues.

I've never met the friend but I hope the painting brings him the same inspiration and solace his father's father's portrait did.

Confused? Sorry, it's hard to explain the relationships (lots of fathers, lots of friends).

Anyway, my point is I was really touched by the big hearts that these men exhibited as they pulled together such a thoughtful gift for their grieving friend. And as an artist, it was nice to be a part of the healing.

Cool Globes Vancouver

My second large Cool Globe, originally created for Southwest Airlines about the importance of giving employees the time and incentive to volunteer is on currently on display in Vancouver, at Science World outside TELUS World of Science. This exhibit showcases giant globes created by artists depicting solutions to climate change. My globe has been on tour for the last couple years from San Francisco to San Diego, L.A., and Houston. Stop by the exhibit if you are in Vancouver in the next few months.

Chalkboard Art for Trade Show

An Italian cookware company hired me to create this promotional piece for the 8' x 4' blackboard in their booth at the "International Home and Houseware Show" at McCormic Place. I used hard pastels. The cute little chef is their mascot "l'omino". If you happen to be at the Houseware show, stop by booth #1836 to check out the artwork.

Promotional Sidewalk Art

I was down in St. Louis with my assistant Tracee this week creating sidewalk art to help launch a new truck called TerraStar during the Work Truck Show. We were hired by Navistar's marketing agency who was looking for a new attention-grabbing method to promote the truck's launch. We created this 10' x 5' painting outside the Hyatt where the convention attendees were staying. The artwork turned out great and the passersby loved it! Click on the photo for a better view of the artwork.

Second portrait, six years later

This oil portrait, delivered last week (20"x 26"), is the second painting commissioned by one of my first clients. You can see the first one I did in watercolor in 2003 here. Beautiful kids, eh?

Teenagers in a photobooth

My studio assistant and I delivered this commissioned oil portrait last month. "Core Four in a Photobooth" (12" x 30") is of four teenage girlfriends commissioned by the mom of one of the girls as a holiday gift for her daughter. I must admit it was a great idea. How fun would it be to have a painting like this today (30 years later) of my four best girlfriends in highschool?