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Diego Orozco
Over The Sea to Skye
Painting
40 x 30 x 1.5 in.
Artist Bio
Diego Orozco is an independent artist based in Chicago whose work is meant for people who find nature as a refuge, or a safe place. Orozco primarily works in acrylic, combining geometry and hard-edge painting to create themes of tranquility and harmony in nature. His work recently explores water, sky, plants and light as a source of life and creation.
Instagram: @quackquas
Above Its Altitude
30 x 40 x 1.5 in.
The Cloud Felt Pain, The Trees Drank It Away
24 x 36 x 1.5 in.
Crossing The Line
36 x 24 x 1.5 in.
Fionn Mix
alone anyway
Digital Illustration
21 x 16 x 1 in.
Hey, I'm Fionn and I like to draw. I primarily draw digital, but I also use watercolor, and collage occasionally. My work has all kind of subjects, I draw whatever I feel like. I hope my work can spark peoples imaginations. What do you notice in each piece?
Website: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/madmix66
bathroom mirror
Website: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/madmix67
party girrrl
Website: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/madmix65
the forest is dangerous
Website: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/madmix64
Moses Perez
Fruit Stipple
Drawing
11.65 x 6.75 x .7 in.
Local artist drawing and painting portraits and still Life acrylic paintings and drawings. Also making signs as a local business for 19 years.
PAZ
10 x 13 x 1.5 in.
Fruit Contestant
11 x 14 x .65 in.
Asha Edwards
Palestinian Fisher Man Risking Life in Apartheid
10 x 10 x 1 in.
Asha Ayana E is a visual artist with a BA in Public Health who sometimes engage in abolitionist rooted campaigns and movements, resource redistribution, and anti militarism work as a supporter of community-based collectives and organizations in Chicago. As an artist she hopes to help visualize and incite what she believes needs to be done in the world for abolition, end of empire, and Land Back struggles, giving people the freedom to imagine.
Instagram: @Ashasaizu
CIA Popularized Abstract Art to Diminish Socialist Movements. I, Black Socialist, Reclaim.
11 x 9 x 1 in.
Water is Life, Not AI Data Centers
8 x 11in.
Chicago Chihiro Girl
8 x 11 in.
Samara
In what moment did I grew?
22 x 18 in.
I'm a Colombian girl who loves art. Art has always amazed me and I will not be able to live without doing it. Art it's part of me and I can see it everywhere in the little details of my daily life. I love how art can be rebellious; when someone is able to express themselves without limits, without walls that tell you exactly how to act. The society we live in wants to control what we read with book bans, how we think with ideas from famous people in social media and how we feel with new medicines that control 'strong emotions'. Art is freedom and we can't never let it die.
My dear Chicago
Photography
11 x 17 in.
Sophia Pedro Torres
charcas
8 x 12 x 1 in.
Sophia Pedro Torres is an interdisciplinary artist from La Villita, Chicago whose work blends community, memory, and storytelling. Her practice spans film, photography, and jewelry making, often in collaboration with local creatives and youth. Sophia's art is grounded in care, culture, and the everyday beauty of her community.
Instagram: @sophieshouse.co
pozos
la kitty
el cookies
Scarlett Smith
Ode to Marwen
40 x 30 in.
I am a Afro-Latina painter and a freshman at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I specialize in gouache and acrylic painting while also doing a bit of sculpture and fiber work. I utilize bright, saturated colors to convey a lively and almost childlike mood.
Ari Mills
When I Die, I Hope I Am Delicious
Mixed Media
22 in. x 30 in.
Ari Mills is an Afro-Indigenous artist whose work explores themes of grief, fear, and the mundane.
His creative process serves as a contemplative space; a place in which to unravel his patterns of sense-making of the things which simply require acceptance.
He believes that art and the viewer stand in conversation, and with his work, hopes to choose his words carefully.
Decomposition (Triptych)
11.5 in. x 2.5 in. each
Hazel Avery
Luminous
8.5 x 11 in.
I'm a Chicago based multimedia artist, designer and art director that enjoys creating with a bit of everything, whether that's drawing, photography, bookbinding, ceramics or crochet. Through my photography, I explore texture, contrast and light.
Website: hazelavery.com - https://hazelavery.com
Instagram: @_sincerely.hazel
Complementary
11 x 8.5 in.
Stroll
Attentive
Natalia Virafuentes
Rite of Becoming
50 x 27 in.
Natalia Virafuentes is a muralist/interdisciplinary artist, born and raised in the city of Chicago. She believes murals are the best way of transforming spaces, sharing untold stories and bringing art to people who don't usually go to museums or galleries. Her designs are influenced by community unity, Mexican folk art and ancient universal symbolism. Her works have uplifting messages and cosmic symbolism that show people's interconnectedness.
Website: Nataliavirafuentes.com - https://Nataliavirafuentes.com
Instagram: @Virafuentes_Art
Mango Mask
Sculpture
11 x 9 in.
Agave Mask
20 x 14 in.
Cactus Mask
16 x 14 in.
Cilia Conley
Space Buns
Print
7 x 5 in.
Cilia Conley is a Chicago-based artist who enjoys capturing the visual interest hidden in the ordinary. Escaping a distinct style, each illustration or painting is molded by the unique scenario and feeling that guides her creative choices. In the past she has worked on murals, posters, and sculptures, but most of the time you will find her in a small sketchbook creating fun character designs.
Website: artofciliaconley.myportfolio.com - https://artofciliaconley.myportfolio.com
Instagram: @cereal.box_2
Dodge Superbird
7.3 x 6 in.
Walk for a Broken Heart
6.4 x 10.5 in.
Cezanne Study
12 x 16 in.
Jhonnatan Hernandez
Al Borde del Vacio (2026)
18 x 24 x 1.5 in.
Jhonnatan Hernandez is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary Mexican artist, designer, and creative strategist working across painting, drawing, photography, print, writing, music, and design. His practice moves through abstraction, language, memory, sound, and material transformation, creating visual and sonic spaces where feeling can exist before it is fully named.
Two philosophies guide his work. Through REFRAMED, his design and creative practice, Hernandez advances innovation through inspiration, using research, cultural reference, observation, and collaboration to reframe existing ideas into new possibilities. Through La Chimia, his studio philosophy of transformation through reclamation, he works with discarded, inherited, and emotionally charged materials-especially reclaimed canvases, layered surfaces, and residual marks. Accumulation, repair, rupture, and revision become formal strategies and metaphors for survival, memory, and becoming.
Black is pivotal to Hernandez's visual language: ground, atmosphere, protection, memory, and possibility. Nearly a uniform across his studio and design practice, it holds contrast and allows color, line, voice, and gesture to emerge with greater force. For Hernandez, black is not emptiness; it is a generative archive of what is concealed, carried, and still becoming.
Literature, poetry, and experimental writing shape his approach to abstraction as visual writing. Through synesthetic perception and musical practice, he translates voice, rhythm, and sound into color, gesture, pacing, and composition. This extends into Kuroskuro, his evolving music-centered project, named for kuro, the Japanese word for black, and its echo of chiaroscuro's language of light and shadow.
Hernandez approaches creativity as a living conversation. His work invites reflection without demanding a single answer, asking what an image can say before language reaches it and what becomes possible when a viewer's memory enters the space of a painting.
Website: https://www.jhonnatanhernandez.com
Instagram: @jh.nnatan
El Origen de la Grieta (2026)
Higher Love (2026)
8 x 10 x 0.5 in.
Under the Red Moon, She Danced (2026)
Finn
Frogtility
Ceramic
12 x 12 x 13 in.
I really enjoy hands on art and a lot of times, specifically with clay, I like starting out with a giant blob and seeing what happens with it. I also like making some features of my work more exaggerated and more detailed than other parts. I just really like experimenting with shapes and colors.
Nat
Ivan the Terrible and his pencil holder
3.5 x 4. 5 in.
Hey I'm nat I like to paint and sculpt and draw and sometimes I like to eat the paint
Instagram: @Nat_the_rat_eater
Taz shahid
Subway Home
30 x 20 in.
Taz Shahid, an artist based in Chicago, creates work that reflects the world around her. She is currently a student in art education, and plans to teach and create art after college. She reflects on the emotions tied to scenes and works to immerse her audience.
Her recent works have been focused on the heart of the city, its unique transportation, and the different people that it brings together. She explores themes of fleeting moments, and invites her viewers to sit with them. The softness that oil mediums bring match this reflection well, and is the primary medium that she works with.
Instagram: @tazzys_trinkets
Memory of Emotion
12 x 9 in.
The Traveling Musicians
9 x 9.5 in.
Bell Guenther
Echoes of green
12 x 12 x .5 in.
Hi, I'm Bell Guenther! I'm a fourth-year Human-Centered Computing student at Rochester Institute of Technology and a Lane Tech alum. I've been an artist for as long as I can remember. My journey started with acrylics, then I got more into drawing, some clay, and now primarily oil painting. No matter the medium, I just love creating. Whenever I'm not studying, you can usually find me deep into a new canvas-and I always love taking on custom commissions if you have a special idea in mind!
Instagram: @artistic.antics_1
Shadows have more to say
Marlet
8 x 8 x 0.5 in.
Lily's Horizon
12 x 12 x 0.1 in.
Nae
Mother and Sons
24 x 24 in.
Entering womanhood is no easy task. As a young woman being in her twenties, raised by a single mother of two, and beginning to understand her body's imperfections. Growing up comes with its ups and downs, but there's nothing like expressing your love through body language. During my creative process I incorporated my life challenges by implementing my self love and what it's like to be nurtured from a mother's presence. The warmth of your environment and love ones truly brings comfort. Love is being vulnerable, love is power, and love is growth. As an artist I like to practice expressionism using black and white paint with a splash color, to be able to catch my audience's attention and wonder how one expresses their love for themselves and to one another.
Instagram: @naeoriginalart
Blossom
24 x 30 in.
Weeping Hot Box
24 x 36 in.
Ring of Fire
Erika Martinez
zapahua
I am a hobbyist painter who primarily works with watercolor. My work is character based and fashion influenced, with saturated colors that stand out against deep dark colors. For these pieces, I decided to keep my linework sharp while keeping contrast a little softer. Taking a simpler approach to designing charro suits, I incorporated silhouettes and ribbon-like elements that aren't traditional to add a touch of interest. I wanted to explore ways of highlighting my Mexican heritage within my art, so I figured the best place to start would be with charro suits, which are arguably one of the most recognizable traditional Mexican garments. I played around with color palettes, wanting to stray from traditional black.
villanueva
martinez
boyer-silvas
Nay
Untitled #3
16 x 20 in.
I am an abstract artist working primarily with acrylic paint and clay. My work is inspired by bold colors, funky designs, and the freedom of creative expression. I love experimenting with shapes, textures, and unexpected color combinations to create pieces that feel playful, expressive, and full of personality. Through my art, I aim to bring a little more color, joy, and individuality into the world.
Untitled #1
11 x 21 in.
Untitled #2
10 x 10 in.
Snaked
7.5 in. diameter
Stacy Patrice
Ancient Future
9 x 12 in.
Stacy Patrice is a Southside Chicago native, yogini, Marwen alumna and transdisciplinary artist with artistic contributions spanning photography, film, drawing, mural, dance, fashion and graphic design, writing, music, modeling and teaching artistry experience in visual media and performing arts. Her favorite artist is her son Sinaan, a current Marwen student, making her also an enthusiast as a Marwen mom.
Website: stacypatrice.com - https://stacypatrice.com
Instagram: @iamstacypatrice
Soulgaze
Reciprocity
Lift It/Lifted
Ari
Cake and Coffee
8.5 x 8 in.
Arianna Baylock is a queer, black and Latinx artist based in Chicago. They primarily work with watercolor and digital media to showcase the Afro-whimsical and beauty within the considerably more mundane parts of life.
Instagram: @Spooki.ari
Come To My Garden
Gemma Ffrench
Slime Mold
14 x 11 x 1/2 in.
I'm an artists based in Chicago that likes to focus on themes of entomology, the intersection of art and science, and memory perception. My main medium is watercolor and acrylic paint, but I love adding elements of other mediums like darkroom photography, collage, and insect preservation.
Instagram: @wintercowb0y
Time running out
12 x 9 x 1/16 in.
The city's all wrapped up
Lidya Sanchez
Yum
10 x 6.5 in.
Lidya is a graphic designer and visual strategist based in Chicago. Her creative work are often her responses to current events and social topics. She is currently freelancing and open to creative collaborations and project opportunities.
Website: https://lidyasanchez.weebly.com/graphic-design-projects.html
Instagram: @sketchy_sanchez
The Dreams I Carry
Paletas
Bailando
Razo-Vera
Fearless
20 x 16 x 1 in.
I am visual artist working primarily in abstract painting, with a body of work centered on harmony and visual resonance. My paintings explore color, form, and composition in ways intended to feel both eye-catching and quietly balanced, inviting viewers into a sense of calm amid visual complexity.
My artistic foundation began in high school, at Curie. I also took a painting class at Marwen back in 2011. In the years since, I've continued to develop as an artist, spending the past five years focused primarily on photography, with an emphasis on nature and portraiture.
Website: https://rasophotography.myportfolio.com/work
Mazer
14 x 11 x 1 in.
Duck Family Fun
8 x 10 in.
Whirlwind
30 x 23.5 x 1 in.
Liz Chisholm
What Does it Say?
Most of my work is figurative in nature. It explores how people who inhabit the same space physically, can experience completely different realities based on their identities. My latest pieces explore the intersecting worlds and experiences of mother and child.
My work is also about relationships, between people and between objects. I am interested in power dynamics, and the group vs. the individual. In my drawings and paintings I enjoy playing with the tension between two and three-dimensional space, and I explore how shapes, lines and textures can evoke emotions and memories.
Website: lizchisholm.com - https://lizchisholm.com
Mom on a Diving Board
25 x 18.5 in.
Smorgasbord
Printmaking
34 x 24 in.
Hubub Goulash
Bobo
Botanical Muse
22 x 28 x 1 in.
Bobo is a Chicago-raised, Detroit-based visual artist and BFA graduate of the College for Creative Studies. Working primarily in graphite & acrylic her practice explores beauty, emotion, and femininity.
Known for her intricate drawings and expressive portraiture, Bobo uses traditional mark-making to create pieces that feel intimate, delicate, and deeply personal. Her work often draws inspiration from the complexity of human identity.
Through each piece, Bobo creates a visual language where softness and strength coexist turning everyday subjects into moments of reflection, elegance, and emotion.
Instagram: @Bobotheartfairy
D.Rose
20 x 30 in.
A Gental Bloom
20 x 32 in.
A Garden Within
20 x 24 x 1 in.
Raul Camacho
Between worlds
25.5 x 19.5 in.
I am Raul, I can say my art is very abstract and sometimes random. I like to be unique. I would describe my art as cartoony but I also like to throw in some realism. I get very happy when it comes to drawing, I love it but sometimes you find me leaving pieces unfinished. I was a previous student at Marwen, I really forgot when I started it's been a while since I've step foot in Marwen. Thank you !
Instagram: @do_not_use1023
Memories in Paper
18 x 24 in.
Innocent gaze
21 x 30 x 609.11 in.
A journey Beyond Reality
Jeremy Tibus
Mixing Purple
12 x 24 x 1 in.
Hi I'm Jeremy Tibus and I attended Marwen from 1997-2001. I am a practicing studio artist in Chicago and I mostly make mosaics drawings and paintings. I work at my art every day. I currently take classes at Chicago Park District.
Mixing Green
Mixing Orange
Vitruvian Man Mosaic
20 x 20 x 1 in.
Kyra Termini
Sun 1
4 x 6 in.
Climate change and connectivity to natural materials are the foundation of my artistic practice. I utilize my background as an artist to support the students I work with; encouraging sensory and kinesthetic learning.
Sun 2
Sun 3
Gabriela Larios
Fallen Stardust
12 x 18 x 1 in.
I am a first generation Mexican-American who was born in Chicago. I have been interested in incorporating beadwork into my artwork, which resulted in "Fallen Stardust". Aside from making art, I work as a therapist for children on the spectrum. The more mediums I try, the more mediums I can introduce to clients at my clinic.
Instagram: @gxbylarios
Grow Up
Eric
Looking for Berries
14 x 17 in.
Eric Tran is a Marwen alum, graduate of the Marwen Emerging Teaching Artist (META) program, and Teaching artist with a focus on nature, architecture, and the intersections between them.
Adabelle Martinez
Nature Walk
22 x 28 x 3/4 in.
This summer has taught me many lessons about how I see and express the world around me, and along the way, I found inspiration in my emotions, the energy of my brushstrokes, and the symbolism animals hold. As I explored these ideas through each piece, I began to see how art can transform personal experiences, memories, and emotions into stories of change, resilience, curiosity, and self-discovery.
My largest piece is inspired by my late bunny (Fridita) my companion of ten years, whose passing this summer led me to reflect on the passage of time and transformation. For this canvas, I envisioned a mystical forest. I chose the main hue of the painting for its symbolism and deep-rooted connection to mystery and wonder. To amplify this idea, I experimented with my brushes to create a variety of soft and sharp edges.
For my second-largest painting, I explored the theme of wilderness. Wolves often symbolize freedom, strategy, and resilience, qualities I wanted to capture through the subject as a pathfinder navigating an abstract forest.
Lastly, for my smallest work, I decided to stray from the forest theme. In truth, there are few obvious similarities between a fox and a quilt, but I found this contrast intriguing and saw an opportunity to explore storytelling. Foxes are known for their ability to hide, symbolizing stealth and subtle movement. I was particularly drawn to the idea of a fox's curiosity overcoming its solitary nature, compelling it to investigate what lies beyond its surroundings.
Instagram: @clair.voyances
Picnic Wonder
12 x 24 x 1 1/2 in.
Arcane Grove
24 x 36 x 1 1/2 in.
Hekter
Hope is Golden
I am
I am from Spray paint
From hot pinks and aerosol smells
I am from booming sound systems playing records
(Colorful, rhythmic
Even my plants sway)
I am from Hibiscus flowers
The Ahuehuete tree
Whose roots hold many stories of our antepasados
Yo so hijo del Sol y QuetzalcÃÆ'3atl
de GonzÃÆ'Ã'¡lez y Cruz
I am from Hoping and Dreaming
From " I know I can, be what I wanna be
If I work hard at it, I'll be where I wanna be"
I am from Breakdancing and graffiti jams
throughout Chi City
I am from the Almighty Spray Brigade and Brickheadz crew
Rocking burners from walls to trains and down-rocking to break beats
From the age of 10
Now we are celebrating 50 years of HIP HOP culture
40 years in the game and still counting
"Don't stop the body rock"
I am HIP HOP
Hope In Progress and Honoring Our People we are Healthy Independent People Helping Other People
Instagram: @Hekter23
Hope in Blue
Hope in Bronze
Ben "Benerator" Nunez
"Scrappers" custom prototype
Big - 5 x 5 x 2.5 in. Small - 3.5 x 3.75 x 1.5 in.
My name is Ben Nunez (known in some circles as "Benerator"), and I'm an illustrator and graphic artist. I've been working in the casino gaming industry for many years, helping to design and produce artwork for slot machines available worldwide.
I'm a Marwen alumni, having taken classes during my high school years in the late 80's, right around the time of the organization's inception. I'm also the proud parent of a Marwen student, and I'm happy that the opportunities available to my kids have grown considerably compared to when I participated.
I'm neurodivergent, and one of my special interests is robots; I draw them all the time, and have amassed a sizable collection of robot toys over the years. I'm currently invested in developing a line of 3D-printed robot art toys based on my own designs.
Website: instagram.com/benerator - https://instagram.com/benerator
Instagram: @benerator
"M.A.R.10 version 2.0"
5.25 x 5.5 x 4.5 in.
Yolitzin Dominguez
Sed
36 x 48 x 1 in.
As a self-taught artist, I embark on a creative odyssey, exploring the realms of surrealism through the medium of portraiture. Growing up as a first-generation Mexican woman in the vibrant city of Chicago, my artistic expression serves as a reflection of my unique experiences, cultural heritage, and personal growth.
Surrealism becomes the language through which I weave together the threads of reality and imagination. Drawing inspiration from dreams, memories, and the duality of existence, I create visual narratives that transcend the boundaries of the tangible world. Within the surreal landscapes of my portraits, viewers are invited to question their own perception of reality and delve into the depths of the subconscious.
Color plays a pivotal role in my work, as I employ a vibrant and evocative palette to infuse each piece with emotive energy. Warm earth tones intermingle with rich hues, echoing the multifaceted layers of my cultural background and the vibrant spirit of my heritage. Through the interplay of light and shadow, I aim to capture the essence and complexities of the human soul, evoking a sense of introspection and emotional resonance.
Ultimately, my artistic journey is an ongoing exploration of identity, self-discovery, and the pursuit of artistic excellence. As an artist, I am committed to honing my craft, pushing the boundaries of creativity, and leaving an indelible mark on the art world. Through my surreal portraits, I aspire to create a visual tapestry that resonates with viewers, inviting them to embark on their own introspective voyage and discover the sublime within themselves.
Instagram: @yolitzindominguez
Yuma
Luis Ponce
Untitled
19 x 15 x 0.5 in.
Hello, I want to be a great artist one day, the work I am showing here is my latest and best work so far. If you can, check out my website or socials for upcoming work, thank you.
Website: Luisponceartist.com - https://Luisponceartist.com
Instagram: @Luisponceartist
assembly line manufactured product
Fiber Art & Textiles
34 x 28 x 0.2 in.
15 x 19 x 0.5 in.
15 x 19.0.5 in.
Katty
Sweet Summer Breeze
14 x 18 in.
My name is Katy, and I am an artist deeply passionate about nature, which serves as the primary source of inspiration for my work. I specialize in oil painting and pencil drawing techniques, exploring textures and landscapes. Throughout my creative journey, I have had the invaluable and unconditional support of Marwen, whose constant presence and encouragement drive me every day to keep creating and expanding my art
Bloom
13 x 17 in.
Eternity
26 x 22 in.
My name is Katy, and I am an artist deeply passionate about nature, which serves as the primary source of inspiration for my work. I specialize in oil painting and pencil drawing techniques, exploring textures and landscapes. Throughout my creative journey, I have had the invaluable and unconditional support of Marwen, whose constant presence and encouragement drive me every day to keep creating and expanding my art.
Timeless Love
22 x 15.5 in.
Isabella Scott
Isabella Scott is an illustrator and fine artist from Winnebago, Illinois. She currently lives in Chicago. She has created a wide range of art in a variety of mediums from ballpoint pen to photography. She loves creating a world where she combines fact and fantasy. She has dedicated her career to creating diverse and inclusive work that celebrates the uniqueness of everyone and the world around her.
Isabella's work has been seen in galleries, magazines, murals, and editorial publications. Her strong understanding of visual storytelling has helped her create unique, diverse illustrations that have been on display all throughout Chicago and even internationally in Korea. Her work has been featured in the Chicago Reader and Southside Weekly. She has been in numerous gallery shows including Columbia's March of Mini's, Portrait Show, and Illustrate the Vote. She also is a budding muralist with her latest mural right across Grant Park as a part of the Wabash Art Corridors.
Isabella is determined to make a difference and plans to continue making work that is diverse and inclusive that celebrates the world around her.
Website: https://www.isabellascott.net/
Instagram: @theartbyizzie
whatever
11 x 14 in.
Eyes Everywhere
Eye Bows
Jackie Reyes
Pollo con Tajadas, Baleadas
20 x 16 x 0.5 in.
Jackie Reyes is a South Chicago artist and Marwen alum whose work is inspired by flora and fauna and the urban Chicago life. Her submissions to this years' Marwen Art Fair include "Fast Food" found in downtown Chicago and animals from her Mexican heritage.
Instagram: @jackie_reyes_art
Pasta, Pizza Puff and Fries
Yellow Bird with Flowers
12 x 15 x 1in.
Alebrije Animals: Dog and Duck
20 x 24 in. each
Jessica Barrera Castro
Chicago
11 x 14 x 1 in.
I'm a queer Mexican multi-disciplinary artist and educator. My work focuses on expressing and exploring my identity as well as reflecting on my childhood growing up as a Mexican-American on the West side of Chicago
Instagram: @Jessybc.26
Chinga la Migra
Matoe
[Anoint my head with oil]
[matoe] is a Nigerian-born creative based in Chicago, whose work is shaped by a deep connection to his African heritage, the everyday person, and his environment. Drawing from personal memory and cultural identity, his creative practice blends influence from traditional forms, everyday
experiences, and the unspoken rhythms of home. His work pays homage to cultural heritage and the enduring message instilled by his parents: "Never forget the home from which you came." This principle forms the foundation of his artistic identity and creative path.
His signature style is marked by fluid line work and symbolic and mask-like features that serve as a bridge between past and present. These choices are emotional anchors that connect his internal world with the broader conversation around belonging, perception, and transformation.
Through this visual language, he explores themes of identity, perception, and acceptance inviting dialogue and introspection.
For matoe, art is not only a form of expression, but a necessity-a reflection of self, a way of remembering and processing, and a commitment to staying rooted while growing.
Website: matesandthat.myshopify.com/ - https://matesandthat.myshopify.com/
Instagram: @_matoe
[Untitled]
20 x 20 x 1in.
[Mister Southside]
18 x 24 x 1 in.
For matoe, art is not only a form of expression, but a necessity-a reflection of self, a way of remembering and processing, and a
commitment to staying rooted while growing.
Marz
Wonder Wound
24 x 30 x 1 in.
Free Form Artist born in Chicago. Exploring medium mixing in all art forms possible out of love for art.
Instagram: @mishimarz
Stripedpigeon
Brat
20 x 15 in.
BE WEIRD BE ABSTRACT DO NOT BE EASILY DIGESTIBLE!!
Instagram: @Stripedpigeon
Hello stranger
3 x 3 in.
Flesh
Look Away
14 in. diameter
Nick DiLollo
Pantry
11 x 14in.
Nick DiLollo is a cartoonist and designer from Chicago. He works across books, comics, album covers, animation and zines. Humor, discomfort, and surprise are key to his work. Growing up in an unconventional environment, he tells stories by questioning what feels familiar. Nick's work mixes honesty with absurdity, turning everyday moments slightly off-center. Nick has been a featured artist at the American Library Association Conference since 2022, while also being featured in Various ways across the United States. Alongside his independent projects, Nick collaborates with local initiatives and larger brands such as; Disney, Hershey, Smoko, and Crayola, keeping his unique voice at the heart of everything he does.
Website: https://nickdilollo.com/
Instagram: @nickdilollo725
Roar II
7 x 9 in.
Instagram: @nickdilollo724
Stand beside 'er and guide 'er
12 x 18in.
Instagram: @nickdilollo727
UH HUH YEAH OK
Instagram: @nickdilollo726
Vanessa Lee
Northern Mockingbird
8.5 x 11 x 1 in.
My name is Vanessa. I'm a first-generation, Chinese American multidisciplinary artist, small business entrepreneur, information professional, and unapologetic nerd. I grew up in Chicago, but now I'm based in the Bronx, New York. My core values are rooted in innovation, courage, inclusion, purpose, and kindness. I paint and illustrate birds in an effort to connect people to the expansiveness of the world.
Website: https://www.shopresetreality.com
Instagram: @_resetreality
American Robin
American Woodcock
House Sparrow
Steph Scum Art
Afterthought
54 x 30 in.
Steph Scum is a surrealist Chicago painter and urban arts landscaper. Multimedia psychedelic paintings are loosely based on their communities from both rural and urban cities. Ideas embody high contrast colors, themes of phantasmic horror, mental health, and nature.
"I love creating multi functional art with my hands such as structures/green spaces and painting these archival emotional reflections of life has been so fulfilling for myself and the communities i want to give back to. My Paintings depict stories of resilience and a willingness to understand the strange beauty in the unconventional, the unexplainable nature, and the wonderfully weird.
I am passionate to continue exploring with different mediums, such as digital illustration- to find each creation a new home."
Website: Steph-scum.com - https://Steph-scum.com
Instagram: @steph_scum
Masked Death
42 x 16 in.
Heavy Heart
38 x 18 in.
ScuMushrooms
Summer Reynolds
Shadow The Hedgehog
6 in. diameter
Hi I'm Summer! I'm a embroidery artist. This year for art fair I made realistic versions of sonic characters. I choose Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Tails! It was a fun challenge and I wanted to give a new spin on fan art. I'm still searching for my artistic style but I do a lot of fan art. I also am entirely self taught. I learned through YouTube and the library. As a student at Marwen I did a lot of photography and illustration. I am always open to different art mediums. I love anything creative! If you like my art and want to see more, my Instagram is summersstitchery !:
Instagram: @summersstitchery
Sonic The Hedgehog
Hi I'm Summer! I'm a embroidery artist. This year for art fair I made realistic versions of sonic characters. I choose Sonic, Shadow, Knuckles and Tails! It was a fun challenge and I wanted to give a new spin on fan art. I'm still searching for my artistic style but I do a lot of fan art. I also am entirely self taught. I learned through YouTube and the library. As a student at Marwen I did a lot of photography and illustration. I am always open to different art mediums. I love anything creative! If you like my art and want to see more, my Instagram is summersstitchery !
Knuckles
Tails
Gelse Tecalero
"When Did The Flower Start To Wither?" (Phase 1)
Today's society is constantly moving at a fast pace, whether by trying to keep up with the ever changing latest trends or thinking about the next thing that needs to be accomplished to live our desired lives. As a result, we have forgotten the importance of slowing down and appreciating what we have in front of us, especially the little things.
The artwork focuses on the details of flowers, such as the lines on their petals and its subtle color transformation from its blooming to withering stage. Those details are emphasized in order to have the viewer truly observe what they have been overlooking and ease them into a state of calmness and reflection.
The title refers to the idea that due to us, as a society, being consumed by our own lives and social media, we don't notice the transition of seasons. By only seeing a flower at its state of beauty and its death, we might ask "When Did The Flower Start To Wither?"
"When Did The Flower Start To Wither?" (Phase 3)
"When Did The Flower Start To Wither?" (Phase 4)
"When Did The Flower Start To Wither?" (Phase 5)
"When Did The Flower Start To Wither?" (Phase 6)
Kristina Alday
Sunset on Albany Park
While my usually art of practice and focus on my social media presence is comic and zine making, I also enjoy painting as a second art media. The subject of focus within my paintings are environments. All of the paintings I've made, including the one's I've submit for this Art Fair, are pictures that I've take or photos that my family share to me. Whether it's from my travels to my mother's home country or just taken from right outside my window, I enjoy repainting different environments from my life.
Instagram: @_nocoffeee_
Red Sun in La Paz, El Salvador
Morning at the Kedzie Brown Line
23
14 x 11 in.
Adam Ali
When the Swallows Homeward Fly
Beginning in 2022 I took it upon myself to escape a barrage of hardship, loss, and insurmountable obstacles, which seemingly knew no end. Much of this presented itself after the pandemic turned many facets of life on its head. Searching for resolve and reassurance, that only peace may provide, I began exploring many of the state parks and nature centers. In doing so I found microcosms of life, confined by roaring roads, and high fences, which persisted despite it all. I felt my home had been encroached upon by the world, yet what was left still had persisted in these places. I was witness to many moments throughout the following years that seemed almost orchestrated in such a consistency that it seemed not a coincidence. These are some of those instances.
Website: adamwilliamali.com - https://adamwilliamali.com
Rock and a Hard Place
Father's Day
Thomas Fanelli
Deserted Memories
Thomas Fanelli is a photographer and musician from the southwest side of Chicago and is currently a META at Marwen. Thomas has enjoyed taking photos from a young age and began practicing photography professionally during his last years of college. After graduating from the University of Illinois Chicago, he became fascinated with film & darkroom photography which have become his primary mediums. Through his work, Thomas enjoys capturing moments and details in life that may go unnoticed by most. While he explores various photography styles, much of Thomas' work centers around nature, as he enjoys spending a lot of time outside. For the past two years, Thomas has enjoyed co-teaching darkroom photography to Marwen students and plans to continue developing his skills as a photographer and teaching artist.
Instagram: @thomasvfanelli
Through the Underpass
So long, Damen Silos
Imposing Vista
Rara
Different dimension
i'm an artist of 24 years and a painter of 3 years. my art is to bring out that authentic wow factor.
Instagram: @rara.artoons
The Woman King
BLK WOMEN
Emily Reynoso Munoz
Bajado de la Cruz
12 x 21.5 in.
My style consists of a lot of horror, iconography, nature, and magical elements. As of late I've found a lot of inspiration in my experience as an eldest sister and growing up Mexican Catholic. I also enjoy working in a variety of mediums and representing a variety of bodies in my work but focus mainly on oil painting and printmaking.
Website: https://linktr.ee/Paintbristle?utm_source=linktree_profile_share
Instagram: @Paintbristle
La Gran Senora
60 x 48 x 1.25 in.
Michael Almore
Untitled 1
72 x 72 in.
Mike A. is a south side native, expanding their creative horizon that stemmed from a troublesome past searching for self worth through artistic expression. By living the phrase 'use what you got' they were able to spill into many mediums, from digital and murals, to assemblage, music and clothing.More recently taking on charcoal and water colors he is consistently molding and evolving which can be reflected in their works- bringing out the beauty in what's been tossed aside is a favorite pastime of his.
Into the Sunset
25 x 38 in.
Rotations
38. x 25 in.
Reraveled
41 x 25.5 in.
Stefano Ramirez
Ink Person Study: Standing
I'm an alumni of Marwen (2019-2020).. Currently, I'm in my second year of college at the Art Institute of Chicago. I'm interested in traditional drawing and illustration. The artworks presented use mediums that I haven't used before and have learned during my time of SAIC (micron pens, charcoal, ink, and paint.)
Instagram: @tefanosay92709
Painting Study
14 x 14 in.
Instagram: @tefanosay92706
Nature vs Tech
Instagram: @tefanosay92708
Ink Figure Study: Sitting
36 x 48 in.
Instagram: @tefanosay92707
Graysen Peterson
Dawn
17 x 11 in.
I'm Graysen Peterson, a Chicago artist focused on illustration and printmaking. I'm currently working in ceramics again and using engobe techniques.
Instagram: @_im_a_spoon
Cosmic
2 x 2.5 x 4.5 in.
Sol
2 x 2 x 4 in.
Koi Pond
3.5 x 3 x 8 in.
Wesley Joseph Robles
6 x 4.875 in.
Wesley Joseph Robles is a 20 year old artist and Marwen alumnus born and raised in Chicago. His first love is music and singing, but he has dabbled in photography (as well as many other mediums during his time at Marwen!)
He takes pictures like you see here and edits them on his phone, just for fun. He hopes you enjoy his style!
Instagram: @773_crpl_pnk
5 x 5.875 in.
4.875 x 6.375 in.
5.875 x 4.875 in.
Lucien
fairy
10.5 x 12.5 in.
I'm 27, I draw and paint digitally. I really like color, and I wanted to mess with lighting in these pieces. I've done a lot of nature drawing in the past and I always love doing it. I wanted to capture a sense of calm with these, but also eerie
spider
10.625 x 9.5 in.
flowers
13.875 x 12 in.
door
9.875 x 14 in.
Shoshi
Garden of night
10.5 x 10.5 in.
I enjoy making art of my interests and trying new styles.
The art titled "before the night" I am submitting is based on the game by the same name. It is truly one of my favorite games and a special interest of mine.
The art titled the "garden of night" is based off a character of mine named mint. She is based off of a mint flower and actual mint.
I hope you are able to find enjoyment in my art. Thank you very much for reading!
Before the night
10.375 x 16.5 in.
Charity Shelton
Ma'or
7.875 x 10.5 in.
Charity Shelton is an emerging multidisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in curiosity, experimentation, and self-expression. Her work explores the relationship between creativity, emotion, and the everyday experiences that connect people to one another. She has been creating art intuitively since high school, initially experimenting with pencil, pen ink, charcoal sticks, and unconventional techniques without having formal knowledge of the artistic processes behind them. Over time, what began as personal experimentation developed into a distinctive mixed-media approach. She layers drawing materials, colors, and textures to create pieces that invites viewers to look beyond the immediate image and discover details within it. Her creative process is both intentional and improvisational. Charity doesn't approach art with the expectation of knowing every technique or having complete control over the final result. Instead, she embraces the process of learning as she creates, allowing new materials and discoveries to influence the direction of her work. A recurring element throughout Charity's work is a spiral, which has become a personal visual signature. For her, the spiral represents continual growth and expansion. It reflects her belief in constantly absorbing new experiences, ideas, techniques, and perspectives. Her work encourages close observation, often incorporating small figures, hidden details, and layered imagery that reveal themselves gradually.
Instagram: @Smiley.chass
Irony
Melancholy
8 x 10.5 in.
Zoe Antoinette
Fall In The City
13.875 x 9.125 in.
Photography has always been a way for me to show others the world through my eyes. Growing up in Chicago, I never really imagined myself leaving the city or experiencing life outside of what I had always known. As my world has grown, so has the way I see it, and photography has given me a way to capture that.
For me, photography gives me words when I don't have them. There are feelings, places, and moments that I don't always know how to explain, but I can photograph them. Through my work, I want people to see the beauty that I see not only in extraordinary places, but in everyday moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.
My photography is a reflection of how I experience the world, it's a reflection of the places that make me stop and the moments I want to remember. More than anything, I want my images to remind people that there is beauty everywhere, sometimes you just have to look at the world a little differently.
Instagram: @zozo.captures
Blue
19.375 x 13.875 in.
Pink
Yellow
Sky
The Greenhouse
4.5 x 6.5 in.
Skylar Haley is a sophomore studying Communications and Moving Image Arts at the University of Illinois Chicago. She first discovered her passion for photography in middle school, initially focusing on architecture and nature. As she developed her skills with DSLR cameras and digital editing, her photographic practice began to evolve.
Today, Skylar uses photography as a way to tell stories and capture the beauty of everyday life. Her work focuses on people, creative expression, and the small details that can often go unnoticed. Through her photography, she aims to highlight meaningful moments and perspectives, inviting viewers to see familiar subjects in new ways
Instagram: @sky_lar777
Steel Waters
4.375 x 6 in.
Peace Within
4.375 x 5.875 in.
Rush Hour
3.875 x 5.875 in.
Cas
noon
10.625 x 7 in.
Cassidy Canaval is a Film & Television major with a minor in Music Production at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Photography isn't declared, but it's become the place where her two real loves collide: the visual language of film and the rhythm of sound. Not formally trained behind a still camera. Music videos are Her true passion.
Instagram: @capturedby.cas
Euchee "salt"
10 x 7.25 in.
radiant
10.825 x 7.25 in
Isle of 8 Flags
5.875 x 8.875 in.
Paolo Aguilar
Dos
15 x 22.5 in.
I attended Marwen, a free program for youth here in Chicago. This program has been greatly impactful to me, exposing me to artists, different mediums, and the power of art to transform my life and the lives of others. In high school, I attended GCE Lab School (Global Citizen Experience). This school gave me a broad and diverse worldview while teaching me about relevant issues in the world that affect our lives and gave me the tools and knowledge to begin to think about how to create positive change in our world. Both of these experiences led me to apply to the School of the Art Institute which has given me even greater tools and resources to create art and make change in the world.
In my current work, I am interested in design, architecture, photography, and sculpture. I explore these fields through various materials and mediums. What I'm most interested in is developing my ability to generate new ideas that balance my interests in both art and design. I also have a great interest in business and entrepreneurship and how these fields can be incorporated into my art-making process. Traditionally young artists have struggled to make a living while making their work. I intend to create a practice that harmoniously incorporates art, business, and design. The way that I have been doing this is by learning different mediums and skills and by interning at different organizations, firms, and workshops.
Su casa
Intro
IsaacTea
Ball of Sunshine
My art often revolves around solving problems and making things funny, all while telling stories with ideas that have been floating around my brain for a while now. I draw such fun things as: overcomplicated poses, goofy facial expressions, the same old characters in various outlandish scenarios, cool ideas that I come up with at 3am, and sometimes even the funny things that happen around me. I am inspired by the many adventure fantasy books I read as a youth, cool places and things that I've stumbled upon, and spooky animated tv shows. I like to find new ways to do art, which usually also comes with new problems to solve, often at extremely inopportune times. While I've dabbled in lots of mediums, from pixel art to painting, traditional pencil and ink is still probably my favorite, with digital painting as a close second.
Website: isaactea.art - https://isaactea.art
Instagram: @_.quality.garbage._
Alexiss Villagomez
Head in the stars
Alexiss (they/them/elle) is a Queer, Latine artist & educator from the Southside of Chicago. They turn digital drawings into screen + litho prints with themes around inner-child, play > perfection.
Instagram: @alexisszs
Celina Garduno
Distant Land
Celina Garduno is a Chicago artist focused on making art that merges the fantastical with all things colorful.
Website: www.celinagarduno.net - https://www.celinagarduno.net
Instagram: @sarcelle_art
Meadow
20 x 16 in.
Pink Haze
Sunset
Mario
Golden Hour
I'm a Chicago based photographer and recently working on digital illustration. I've been taking photos around the city for about 5 years now usually just out on a run or walking around trying to catch those everyday moments that capture what Chicago really feels like to me & show to those as they were seeing Chicago for the first time.
Bearzilla Over Chicago
12 x 18 in.
A Man's Best Friend
This year there is a piece that holds a place in my heart in honor of someone I recently lost my pet, my best friend who has been with me since my childhood the illustration piece called "A Man's Best Friend".
Sports Car
Regin Igloria
Morning Meditations (North of Chicago)
6.5 x 8.5 in.
Regin Igloria is a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in the Chicagoland area. His drawings, artists' books, sculptures, and performances portray the human condition as it relates to the natural environment and inhabited spaces. In 2010, he founded North Branch Projects, an organization that builds connections through the book arts, which allows him to work with various communities to create crossover between disparate populations. Igloria has taught at places such as The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rhode Island School of Design, Marwen, Snow City Arts, and Carthage College. He received a 3Arts Next Level Artist Award as well as local, national, and international grants, support through artist residencies such as Camargo Foundation and Ucross, and has exhibited internationally. He received his MFA from Rhode Island School of Design.
Website: www.reginigloria.com - https://www.reginigloria.com
Instagram: @reginigloria
The Hoarding
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