Marlene Drawing

Artist Statement: I live and work in my art studio surrounded by the characters and scenes that originate in my mind and spill out onto my canvases, as if I am living within a book or a film. Born as a twin on Halloween, I have always been drawn to the idea of becoming a character as well as finding and expressing my own unique identity. I often utilize self-portraiture as a way of changing costume and working out that identity. I grew up painting, drawing, singing to myself, and reading Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie. I loved to feel like I was unraveling some mystery, and I still feel like I am doing just that when I'm figuring out how to paint or create the effect I want using a technology tool. I have worked professionally as a graphic designer and a motion graphics/video artist, and my graphic sensibilities and interest in motion factor into my paintings. And, to an equal degree, my paintings have always felt like film stills. I hope you will enjoy stepping into these stories with me. Bio: Rani Young is a Chicago-based visual artist, designer, musician, and educator. She received a Post-Baccalaureate in Art & Technology Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado State University. The recipient of an Individual Artist Grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, her work has been exhibited at the North Dakota Museum of Art, Oak Park Art League, and ArtPrize, among others. An enthusiastic promotor of Chicago art and music, Rani co-founded the gallery and event space Transistor and later launched her spinoff solo venture, Resistor. She has taught art and design classes to over 1,000 students. As lead singer in three bands, including Girl Detective and Eve Black, Rani brought in elements of video, costuming, and object design. Her current music and video project is Dorian's Shadow () and she continues to work as a freelance graphic designer and motion graphics artist (see examples at ).