http://www.stateoftheartchicago.com/

State of the Art, 1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL (2026)

05/15/2020

In the latest State of the Art news, owner and head curator Michelle Graves who is a member of has painted a mural on the . It will be on display for the month of May 2020. The piece is comprised of non-linear phrases about finding a calm within chaos and is titled “Endurance”
@ The Violet Hour

05/11/2020

Art can transform your space while lifting your spirits 🌞 Bring inspiration indoors while supporting :

1. Recording #5. 24”x 48” Acrylic and Oil Crayon by Bojana Ilic
2. Collaboration. 30” x 40” Mixed Media by Alex Puryear
3. Accretion Disk #2. 20” x 24” Acrylic and Glitter on canvas by Mary Saran ——————————————————————————————————DM or email [email protected] for inquiries. Ask about custom artwork! Be well ❤️ ———————————————————————— @ Bucktown, Chicago

05/11/2020

Art can transform your space while lifting your spirits 🌞 Bring inspiration indoors while supporting :

1. Recording #5. 24”x 48” Acrylic and Oil Crayon by Bojana Ilic
2. Collaboration. 30” x 40” Mixed Media by Alex Puryear
3. Accretion Disk #2. 20” x 24” Acrylic and Glitter on canvas by Mary Saran ——————————————————————————————————DM or email [email protected] for inquiries. Ask about custom artwork! Be well ❤️ ————————————————————————

05/02/2020

SOTA’s final artist whose work is currently out on display at during the Covid stay-home order in Chicago is Andrea Kaspryk . Her oil paintings depict a journey and exploration through her many bodies of work. She’s also a hard-core cyclist through all Chicago seasons and oftentimes hauls around large side bags and/or large canvases. 💪

“For a time my career goal involved literature (teaching and writing), but my interests shifted towards visual art, painting, drawing and printing. My artwork reflects my continuing interest in stories: I create narrative and symbolic paintings that tell one. Twentieth century modernist art movements and styles, such as expressionism, surrealism, and symbolism inspire my artwork. The figures and scenes in my paintings are often set in a natural and imagined world. Regularly attending figure painting and figure drawing classes and drop-in sessions with a model improve my knowledge and skill in rendering the human figure and help me to imagine the figures that I use in my imaginative paintings and prints.

I went back to college to earn a BFA degree in Painting and Drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 2013, and I continue to take classes in portrait and figure painting at Lill Street Art.”

Kick Bikers with a Captive Audience, 2016. 30” x 40” Oil on canvas with varnish. $1125.

Racing Unicyclists in the Alps, 2016. 36” x 24” Oil on canvas with varnish. $1000.

Bright Dreams on Wheels, 2015. 48” x 18” Oil on canvas with varnish. $1250.

Penny Farthing Riders, 2016. 32”x40” Oil on canvas with varnish. $1250.

@ Chicago, Illinois

05/01/2020

Artist Don Widmer uses paper pulp to make amazingly accurate compositions of landscapes, architecture and animals. A few of his nicely framed larger architecture pieces are currently on display at . All work is for sale...a great addition to your home if you love buildings and , not to mention supporting local Chicago artists! 😉

Chicago Temple, 2018. 41 x 29” Pulp painting. $1375.

Terminal Tower no. 13, 2016. 44.5 x 32.5” Pulp painting. $1350.

Cleveland Skyline no. 3, 2016. 29 x 41” Pulp painting. $1200.

@ Chicago, Illinois

04/30/2020

Next up on our artist feature whose work is currently on display at is Jon Kriticos . His super detailed work is really best in person. All work is for sale, though he said he might have a hard time parting with “Love”...I mean there is a lot of love put in this piece!

“I am a Chicago artist influenced by the everyday experiences of life, lines in architecture, the sounds and strength of the natural world, and visuals through my meditation practice. My work strives to find the balance between the clarity and chaos in our ever-changing world of overstimulation and co-dependecy on technology. The aim with my art is to help reconnect us back to the simple things, getting lost in curiosity in the process.”

Love, 2020. 36x24” Ink, acrylic and watercolor. $1125

Hummingbird, 2019. 24” x 36” Acrylic and ink. $750

Synergy, 2020. 8” x 10” Ink. $200

Surprise! 2019.18”x14” Ink and watercolor. $285

Weary Warrior, 2019. 11” x 15” Ink. $325

Backstroke, 2020. 10” x 13” Ink and watercolor. $375

West Wind, 2019. 14”x 14” Ink and watercolor. $250

Retro, 2019. 8” x 10” Ink and watercolor. $160

@ Chicago, Illinois

04/29/2020

Currently on display in the lobby of is the work of SOTA founder, Keith Skogstrom . His amazing carpentry and intricate detail are mesmerizing. This wall sculpture is titled “C.” 2018, 8x8’ priced $6250. Sharpie on Maple panel.
Here’s what he has to say: “Consumers of contemporary technology demand devices that are sleek and compact; therefore, manufacturers package the mechanical and electrical components in streamline shells. The consumers’ demand to encase the mechanical parts has proliferated, within the majority of the technology consuming population, a lack of familiarity/understanding with the mechanical systems required for function. This lack of familiarity/understanding is similarly experienced by the same population’s interaction with art. The art and furniture I create is designed to reduce this intimidation by awakening a latent familiarity with mechanical engineering in a context that also encourages interaction with contemporary artwork. My artwork functions by highlighting the intricacy of the machine’s purpose. This “hand-shake” initiates a virtual friendship between the viewer and the object that eliminates intimidation.”

@ Chicago, Illinois

04/27/2020

Enjoy this moment of celebrating friendship and the human spirit:

1. Dancing With My Phone. 16.5” x 13.5” Oil on Wood by Lea Atiq .swap
2. Essential Knowledge (excerpt of an ongoing series). 23.5” x 16.5” Ink on Paper by Colin Matthes
3. Keep Me In Your Plans. 18” x 24” Mixed media by Alison Hixon
4. D (Search History 3). 18” x 24” Mixed Media on canvas by Daniel Wilson
5. Hogwarts Girls. 30” x 24” Acrylic on canvas by Rob Hogan ————————————————————————DM or email [email protected] for inquiries. Be well ❤️ ———————————————————————— @ Chicago, Illinois

04/24/2020

SOTA member Matthew Lee Rosen , whose work is up at , has a great story behind his vintage baseball card, nicely built wall pieces...

I repurpose vintage baseball cards to celebrate the pop culture of America's pastime.

The smell of chewing gum and card stock always triggers fond memories from my childhood. Like anyone else who opened up wax packs as a kid, I was told the cards inside would be worth lots of money when I got older… only to discover they’re pretty worthless. So, what happened?

Well, I learned that Topps lost a monopolization lawsuit which triggered new market competition in 1981 from Fleer and Donruss. As the decade moved forward, more brands entered the mix, and they all vied for shelf space.

This created massive overproduction, which card hobbyists refer to as the Junk Wax Era. By the late 1980's, some of the most popular cards had over a million in circulation. Today, they simply aren't rare to find… unlike cards from the 50’s and 60’s, which were commonly thrown out in the trash.

So, to celebrate their iconic designs and help reduce circulation, I've decided to turn them into pieces of artwork. My diamonds often tell stories about the baseball card boom of the 80’s, and the subsequent bubble burst.

1915 Cracker Jacks, 2019. 34x34” diamond. Baseball cards & acrylic paint on plywood $1300

Cracker Jack Gold, 2019. Set of 3 17x17” diamonds. Baseball cards, spray paint & plexiglass on wood panels $1035

Gum Stick No. 181 (Roger Clemens), 2019. 34x34” diamond. Acrylic paint on plywood $1700

Gum Stick No. 11T (Barry Bonds), 2019. 34x34” diamond. Acrylic paint on plywood $1700

Bubble Burst, 2019. 34x34” diamond. Baseball cards, spray paint & plexiglass on plywood $1565

Be Alert (1985 Topps - Chicago Cubs), 2019. 17x17” diamond. Baseball cards, spray paint & plexiglass on wood panel $435

Bazooka Bo (Bo Jackson), 2019. 17x17” diamond. Baseball cards, spray paint & plexiglass on wood panel $535

Bazooka Joe (Javier Baez), 2019. 17x17” diamond. Baseball cards, spray paint & plexiglass on wood panel $435 @ Chicago, Illinois

04/23/2020

SOTA artist member Matt Kuhlman who reigns from Milwaukee is an artist who loves architecture and form. Check out his work, which is actually hanging at two of our clients locations at the moment, and . All work is for sale!

Silver City, 2014. 30x40” Mixed media $1100

Nickel City, 2014. 30x40” Mixed media $1200

End of the Line, 2014. 30x40” Mixed media $1250

Winter Rebirth, 2014. 30x52” Mixed media $1400

Brick and Mortar, 2009. 30x44” Intaglio and colored pencil $1100

An accumulation of the past, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, pencil, lithography $725

Meditation, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, pencil, lithography $750

Oblivion, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, pencil, lithography $750

All that was possible, all that is, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, spray paint $950

Borders, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, colored pencil $625

(Not pictured) Emergent Structure 1, 2017. 22x30” Cut paper, spray paint $1125

@ Chicago, Illinois

04/22/2020

Sophie Peterson is one of the SOTA artists whose work happens to be on pause hanging at at the moment. Stay tuned for the next couple weeks of posts whose work is all currently hanging at our clients locations. All artwork is for sale!
Also, Tradition is open for carry out so if your around that area, support a business that has been supporting SOTA for 6 years! ❤️

Gilded Idylls: Heartbeat, 2019. 16x16”, Acrylic on Canvas $600

Gilded Idylls: Kitty , 2019. 16x16”, Acrylic on Canvas $600

Gilded Idylls: Vibrations , 2019. 16x16”, Acrylic on Canvas $600

Gilded Idylls I, 2019. 30x30” , Acrylic and collage on canvas $1250

Gilded Idylls II, 2019. 28x48” , Acrylic and collage on canvas $1250

@ Tradition

04/20/2020

It’s beautiful outside but we’ve brought spring indoors for your enjoyment:
1. Lawrence’s Goldfinch. 13” x 13” Watercolor & Ink by Jeff Horwat.
2. Evolve. 36” x 36” Acrylic on canvas by Michelle West
3. Cell Division. Mixed Media by Marty Trejo
4. The Long Road. Oil on canvas by George Chakos
5. Racing Unicyclists in the Alps 36” x 24” Oil on canvas by Andrea Kaspryk ————————————————————————DM or email [email protected] for inquiries. Be well ❤️ ————————————————————————

State of the Art

05/15/2020

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