Welcome back! I’m so happy you’re here and I’m excited to introduce a couple new artists to your library of inspiration. XxA

Valentina D’Amaro

When I look at a painting by Valentina D’Amaro I think, “Oh! I’ve been to that place before.” But I haven’t. The places she paints aren’t real.

Valentina gives just enough information and naturalizes the scenes just enough so that they feel exactly like places we’ve been to before. Truly haunting and thrilling like she’s digging into our personal memories somehow, creating images of what we think we saw when we were where we thought we were. Learn more about Valentina here. 

Kayla Mahaffey

Back-to-school week has me thinking about Kayla Mahaffey.

Kayla Mahaffey, born in the South Side of Chicago in 1994, contrasts a harsh wild world with the imagination and innocence of a child. In Kayla’s words, “My work reflects how the city directly affects our youth and how they in return react when they are cared for and also when they are not.” Learn more about Kayla Mahaffey here.

Thank you for being here! Have an amazing weekend, a spectacular week and I’ll see you next Friday with more art.