Michele was born in Chicago in 1968 and earned her degree in Early Childhood Education from National Louis University. Spector, who now resides in the northern suburbs of Illinois, enjoys making art while listening to music. In her practice, Michele relies less on direct observation from the real world, and more on her own imagination. […]
Born in 1970, Brian Kaplan joined Arts of Life to reconnect with his art practice. Kaplan works in pencil, pen, and marker to produce works influenced by his many interests – music, landscapes, cars, trains, and TV characters like Dr. Bill. Brian likes to listen to Barry Manilow and prefers to work in short spurts.
Born in 1990, Deaudra Steele is one of the North Shore studio’s newest artists. Steele draws inspiration from her many interests – family, recipes, different cultures, dresses, and nature to name a few. Deaudra’s practice is informed by her inquisitive nature and desire to honor and celebrate the things she loves. She enjoys working across
Born in 1998, Emory “Emo” Jones generates intricate drawings on paper that are rich with insight into his world. Primarily working in graphite and marker, Jones draws inspiration from comic books, music, and film. Concepts range from realistic portrayals of his favorite artists to comic strips of Purple Man with reinvented story lines. Emory captures his subject matter
Vontrell’s pen and marker drawings capture a nostalgia for 90s cartoons, family gatherings, and friendship. His color placement is purposeful as is the composition of his chosen subject matter. Nunn creates an opportunity for us to reflect on what things leave lasting impressions and shape our views on life. “I gotta visualize what to make
b. 1957 Linda Larsen joined our studio in 2021. She has begun to assemble a body of work marked by lively drawings of animals with reimagined colors and patterns on their bodies. These works are imbued with a sense of whimsy that is balanced by a careful preservation of white space. “I like looking at
b.1995 Kai Pratt’s artwork is rooted simultaneously in fantasy and realism. He creates lush colored pencil drawings that feature felines from the book series, Warriors, by Erin Hunter. “For people who are familiar with the work, they will know it instantly without me having to say anything. The Warriors fandom is huge! It’s been going
b.1996 Omar Abulsheikh’s works develop slowly as he carefully layers paint to achieve his desired effect. As a result, his paintings are identifiable by saturated pigments, heavy linework on a textured surface. “I like to draw. I like myself. Happy going.” Abulsheikh’s most recent works feature nebulous, spray-painted backgrounds that are reminiscent of star fields.
b.1962 Debra Johnson is a focused and intentional maker. Her abstract works explore texture through mixing mediums and manipulating thick layers of paint. “It’s beautiful. I want paint.” Color also plays an important role in works inspired by nature. Johnson investigates monochromatic color schemes and high contrast color schemes with equal fervor. She manipulates paint
b.1992 Since joining the studio, Marice has begun to form a distinctive body of work heavily driven by narrative and the everyday. Drawn to both reading and writing, she has a natural instinct for storytelling. “The Art of the Plant. I created this as an honor how really, really well the plants are being taken
This program is partially funded by support from the following organizations (Full Community Partners list here):
