Spirit Spirits: Guest Curated by Eli Greene and Devin T. Mays

Renata Berdes (b.1994) The persistence and laser focus Renata Berdes possesses in pursuit of her artistic outcomes is indomitable. She continually pursues her themes, or “obsessions” as she calls them, with voracity and intention. Her sculptural works viewed collectively suggest the assemblage of a new space that plays with scale and permanence. Individually her sculptures are imbued with the magic of what is possible; first there was nothing, and now by Berdes’ hands and imagination the object exists. Found objects are unified through an intimate connection with the sense of touch that manifests in rich textures. Berdes delivers with confidence and honesty, engaging viewers through her own vulnerability. She invites us to see the world from her viewpoint and delights us with her reinterpretation of what is.

Zolt Brown-Dunn is an artist from Long Beach, CA working between theirhometown, Chicago, and virtual game environments. Their bodies of workprimarily consist of investigations into the intersections of Contemporality &Nostalgia, Deception & Collective Memory, Agency & Occupation. Work isoften grounded in the sensibilities of the photographic, though oftendeparts. And so on.Zolt maintains a fluid curatorial and organizational practice through thecollaborative project Propagate Cooperative [IG] [WEB] and makes up halfthe team behind Test Strip [IG] [WEB]

Casey Chrzan's gestural approach to painting and collage reflects his carefree attitude in the studio. His quick, wet on wet application of vibrant acrylics lends recurring subject matter – robots, flowers, basketballs, and family members – a sense of spontaneity and lightheartedness.

Guy Conners was born in 1990 in Tokyo, Japan and moved to Chicago as a child. Outside of his work as a painter, Guy is an avid runner. He takes breaks from his practice to participate in several marathons each year in cities across the US.

Guy has a talent for realism and is gifted with a keen sense of visual perception. Where other artists may be intimidated by the detail or scope of a reference image, he has the ability to break his subject down to the key qualities that convey depth, texture, and character. He skillfully layers brush strokes over time – whether in a wet on wet application of acrylic or delicate washes of watercolor – yielding a rich and varied surface.

Emily Daisy-Schultz is an artist. Recent projects have been exhibited at The Arts Club of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, and Logan Center Exhibitions.

Sam Filicky's (b. 1999) work embodies the romanticism of traditional landscape painting and an appreciation for the beauty found in the natural world. Filicky’s primary inspirations include landscapes, seascapes, abstraction, and the joy of the creative process. His soft, atmospheric landscapes aspire to capture a particular feeling or tone, whether that of a particular season, element of nature, or hazy memory of a terrain once visited. He routinely alternates between painting and drawing, gradually building each composition through a layering of different media on the surface. Filicky’s paintings are defined by bold brushstrokes – fluctuating between quick and gestural or long and meandering – and a wet on wet mixing of vibrant or muted acrylics.

Ted Hamel (b.1990) To view Ted Hamel’s artwork is to enter a strange and delightful world of fictional characters from the silver screen interacting with political figures, current events, train lines and locomotives. Ted finds meaning in his artwork by exploring his emotions through subject matter and color in his narrative based artwork.

Ted Gram-Boarini (b.1984) Ted Gram-Boarini is at once a visual artist and musician, and his preferred modes of artistic expression are mutually influential. This is witnessed in the mesmerizing rhythm of his brush strokes, and in the artistry of the lyrics he has written for the North Shore studio band, Van Go Go. Gram-Boarini reimagines music and movie references into acrylic paintings on canvas. Distinctively, his introspective nature and personal connection to the reference always shine through. Gram-Boarini allows us to see him through his work, while leaving space for the viewer’s personal reverie.

Stefan Harhaj As an artist who is very process oriented, Steve enjoys painting layers of color and creating patterns using motifs such as flowers, leaves, and boats. Through repetition, Stefan has developed his own aesthetic language, rendering these recurring subjects and overarching themes in a manner reminiscent of folk art. One can easily recognize his artwork, through his personal take on archetypal symbols and patterns. “I’m not rushing, I’m just sitting here taking my time trying to figure out what looks good. I like to start somewhere then think about what I’m going to do next. I’m working on figuring out what I want to do.”

Nikki Heusman's (b.1969) art practice is defined by her distinct artistic style and adeptness across mediums. Her portraiture is marked by subtle line work and shading on figures that are offset by backgrounds that pulsate with energetic color patterns.

“I like doing people because I find them very interesting. I always wondered how they would look on canvas and how would they look in my eyes from a standpoint.” Heusman draws inspiration from a variety of sources: classic paintings, contemporary works of art and pop culture. Regardless of origin, the resulting works maintain subjects rendered with a whimsical hand. Each piece is crafted through a methodical process, involving careful composition, sketching and transferring.

Katrina Jackson is one of Arts of Life's newest community members attending the program on the south side of Chicago.

Lia Kohl is a cellist, composer, and sound artist based in Chicago. Her wide-ranging practice includes composition and performance, installation, improvisation, and collaboration. She tours nationally and internationally, working in theater, jazz, rock, and experimental contexts. Her work centers curiosity and patience, an exploration of the mundane and profound possibilities of sound.

David Krueger Born in 1962, David Krueger approaches everything in life with boundless enthusiasm and imagination. Heavily inspired by pop culture and storytelling, Krueger’s work is saturated with symbols, vibrant colors, graphic shapes, and detailed patterns. His geometric style is characterized by horizontal bands drawn across the canvas which break up the frame into narrative sections, reminiscent of comic book layouts. Between these lines, he incorporates elaborate decorative elements that include stars, zigzags, squares, crosses, X’s, and radiating lines. Krueger’s work was recently featured at Untitled Art Fair in Miami Beach and the Outsider Art Fair in NYC. Previous exhibitions include In Good Company at the Chicago Cultural Center and All Well and Good at Circle Contemporary. He has an ongoing collaborative practice with artist Ben Marcus, creating comics about the character Love Man. Krueger’s practice has been featured in Disparate Minds.

Ben Marcus is an artist and DJ in Chicago, Illinois.

Lawrence M. Born in 1994, Lawrence joined Arts of Life to begin developing his studio practice. Working primarily in drawing, painting, and collage, he engages with a process and aesthetic reflecting his everyday interests – gathering imagery of animals, watching cartoons, and a spontaneous layering of diverse materials and ideas. Lawrence also enjoys traveling with his family, spending time with friends, and playing basketball, shot put, and a variety of other sports. Among other exhibitions, his work has been included in Duck Feet guest curated by Ricardo Partida, If a Mountain Could Love guest curated by Cody Tumblin, and Dance Dance Dance guest curated by Tyson Reeder.

Susan Pasowicz Born in Chicago in 1955, Sue Pasowicz is a dreamer and visionary. Fascinated by mystery, color, and organic forms, Pasowicz intuitively uses colored pencil and graphite to create whimsical, dream-like landscapes. Informed by both the fantastical and everyday, hints of her surroundings and memories become tangled in a web of wispy, hair-like marks that build up on the works’ surface. Often incorporating mirrors, portals, windows, or doors, Pasowicz’s work transports the viewer to nebulous and magical environments.

Maria Vanik Born in 1970, Maria is a lifelong Chicagoan. While she has an extensive background in experimenting with fiber and sculpture materials, she’s currently focused on a prolific studio practice based in drawing. Vanik expands on references ranging from found imagery to pop culture to personal memories through the inclusion of patterns and vibrant colors, paired with a distinct approach to symbolism and mark-making. She has been a member of Arts of Life’s Chicago studio since 2017.