Helios Rising - Self Portrait as the Sun Artwork

Hope is a self-taught artist living in Chicago, IL, working in both traditional and digital formats. She began her exploration into art at a very young age but did not pursue it professionally until many years later, following a degree in Art History. This research centered around materiality in Italian Renaissance and Baroque sculpture, which compounded an already present love for figurative art. She found herself focusing on the dynamics of the human body and the ways in which it interacts with the world. Because of her art history background, much of Hope’s work incorporates nods to classical tropes and stories, while being inspired by human connections and the relationships formed with other people. She is particularly interested in the roles mythology and folklore play in the modern environment, which often translates to her figurative painting. A common theme across Hope’s portfolio is intimacy, whether that be in the form of literal depictions (such as moments between lovers, or amongst family or friends) or abstracted concepts that deal with loss, grief, and pain. Much of this intimacy is process-driven: the act of putting pen to paper is as much art as the finished piece. Frenzied marks or slow, deliberate strokes are dependent on that connection between artist, material, and construct. Hope resides in Chicago with her family. Her interests outside the realm of visual arts include stream of consciousness writing, reading historical novels, collecting vinyl records, making animal friends and being outdoors under a big sky.