Christine Forni’s studio is situated in a sunlit industrial building in Chicago, Illinois. Light saturates the space, adding warmth and comfort to her art collections, as the city skyline peeks through the urban haze in the distance. My eyes flit about her workspace, observing sculpture, painting, drawing, and photography - all these mediums reflecting a study of the natural world.  What drew me to Forni’s practice in the first place was her photograms, created by casting porcelain ferns, philodendrons, and other leafy specimens. Hundreds of these casts inhabit the space, some worked into ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity. Location: Chicago, IL Hometown: Arlington Heights, IL Degrees: MFA, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; BFA, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana Favorite Color: Periwinkle Blue Hobbies or Personal Collections: I have a massive case of wanderlust. Place plays an important role in my practice, both in subject matter and process. If I’m not on a trip, I’m usually planning one.     As a child, did you know you w ..read more

You may be tempted to spray your highly sought after Lysol—or another disinfectant—all over your home in an effort to keep everything clean and virus-free. It’s important to make sure our environment is free of germs—especially now—but it’s also wise to ensure that the appropriate cleaners are used on each surface. When it comes to your framed artwork, you should know which solutions to use on the glazing and which ones will actually cause more harm than good. You may wonder what glazing is, if there are different types, and how each should be cleaned. As art consultants, we do our best to inf ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity. Location: Chicago, IL Hometown: Morning Sun, IA Degrees: MFA, Northwestern University; Post-Bacc, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; BA, Cornell College Favorite Color: Currently teal but changes frequently Hobbies or Personal Collections: Discovering music and buying records. I read reviews and go down rabbit holes of research, listening to new music of a variety of genres.    As a child, did you know you wanted to be ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity. Location: Phoenix, AZ Hometown: Tricky question. I was born in Paris, France in 1961. I moved to Libya when I was 3, then moved to London when I was 6, then moved to Texas when I was 13, then moved to Brooklyn/Manhattan when I was 22, and then to Phoenix when I was 51. So the answer is: ? Degrees: MFA, The Pratt Institute; BA, Trinity University Favorite Color: Green Hobbies or Personal Collections: An art collection amassed since 1980 &nbs ..read more

We recently met photographer, Robert Chase Heishman at his studio space which he shares with his partner and fellow artist, Cathy Hsiao. Like many creative studios in Chicago, the familiar sounds of the L train vibrate in the background, as you visually take in what makes these artists’ practices so special. My colleague and I navigate through a landscape of Hsaio’s sculptures at the entrance to find ourselves in Heishman’s workspace nearest the windows, which have film negatives taped to them, sunlight streaming through. On the walls surrounding us, prints of all sizes are pinned, taped, or f ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity.   Lucy Hewett’s photographic style emboldens the everyday with rich and activated color. Energized by her imagery, DeGroot approached Hewett for a corporate client opportunity to artfully capture the Wrigleyville, East Lakeview, and River North neighborhoods of Chicago. We are pleased to highlight Lucy Hewett’s work and words below.   Lucy Hewett, Wrigleyville, diptych installation shot Lucy Hewett, Wrigleyville, Photography, 20 ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity.   We are pleased to highlight Carolina M. Rodríguez, whose photographic style is both airy and bold, with a colorful punch. Enjoying the vibrancy in her work, DeGroot approached Rodríguez for a corporate client opportunity to artfully capture the Illinois Medical District, University Village, and Little Italy.   Carolina M. Rodríguez, University Village, triptych installation shot Carolina M. Rodríguez, University Village, Phot ..read more

An ongoing series of short interviews with artists that we work with or admire called “In Good Company.” Answers are lightly edited for length and clarity. Location: Chicago, IL Hometown: Chicago, IL Degrees: Columbia College, Chicago, IL Favorite Color: Blue Hobbies or Personal Collections: News junkie, art collector, Mid-century furniture aficionado    As a child, did you know you wanted to be an artist? If not, what did you want to be? I fancied to be an astronaut as a child, but knew I wanted to be an artist at a very young age. Have you had any jobs outside of the art worl ..read more

As galleries and museums remain closed for the time being, we’ve been thinking of ways in which we can still view art in our community. We recently posted a blog about ways to view museum and gallery exhibitions through virtual tours online, but as the weather is getting nicer we want to highlight destinations in Chicago to view public art and sculpture. Many public artworks are situated within some of the City’s closed lakefront-adjacent parks--like Cloud Gate (The Bean), Crown Fountain, and Agora--so we compiled other works that you can enjoy throughout the City. Experienced as a self-guide ..read more