Featured Artists
“Pops Casey” U.S.A
“Pops Casey” is the true, self-taught, Outside Artist.
As a young man, Casey - as he was known then - discovered and fell in love with Black and White Photography. He was good at it and began to curate beautiful prints. Photography became his first form of art.
In his middle years, Casey was a carpenter by profession. Working with wood, he learned its strength and limitations - the life force within it. During this time, something deeper was going on inside him. He began to develop an interest in antiques - a sense for their beauty, their history, the art their craftsmanship represented. Casey began his journey to becoming “Pops Casey”.
As “Pops Casey” matured, he set out to create his own art - first for himself and then for others. He blended his three talents: his artists eye, mastery of wood skills, and love of old things - to find his special work, the Tramp Art Style of Folk Art.
Within the last 25 years, “Pops Casey” has been creating works of art drawing from our country’s past, his life experiences, his family, cultural and religious traditions. His works are one of a kind and without parallel.
Today, his unique and singular works of art grace homes, offices and the casual eye all across the U.S.A.
“Pops Casey” and his art have been showcased and sold in art galleries, auctions and art fairs in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
“Pops Casey” and his work showcase the inherent impact of his cultural heritage and pride in his country, hence his U.S.A trademark. His training in carpentry validates why his work is such an essential example of true “Folk Art”.
Most of his work contains some sense of utility, a way of giving back and putting use to the craftsman ship used while creating these pieces of art.
Caitlyn Doran
Offering a fresh perspective on the human spirit, Caitlyn Doran showcases the intricacies of every day life through her multi-faceted training.
Caitlyn Doran is a Chicago-based figurative painter and educator, known for her meticulous hand-rendered graphic drawings and mixed-media paintings that often explore the fragmented nature of modern life.
Born in Illinois, Doran earned her BFA in Drawing from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2016. She furthered her studies in Japan, attending the Kanazawa College of Art's Master's oil painting program in 2018-2019. She completed her MFA at Columbia College Chicago in 2022.
Throughout her career, Doran has received several accolades, including the Albert P. Weisman Award in 2021 and 2022, as well as a Luminarts Fellowship. Her work has been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the Midwest and internationally. Notably, she participated in the "30×30" group exhibition at Var Gallery & Studios in Milwaukee, where she created a body of work titled "Girl Interrupted." This series delves into the complexities of multitasking and focused attention in contemporary life.
In addition to her artistic practice, Doran is dedicated to education. She serves as a teaching artist at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago, offering courses ranging from college-level classes to private tutoring.