About Me
Welcome!
My fascination with art has been a lifelong journey fueled by boredom, curiosity and the joy of discovery. I find more ease in expressing challenging themes through fictional formats, believing that art serves as a powerful medium for digesting complex emotions and topics.
I find abstraction and surrealism to be freeing in a healing way and that sometimes silliness is also an important intentional practice to foster in one's life.
My artistic journey began around middle school when I gained access to (an unconscionably slow by today's standards) Epson Inkjet printer and started printing out pictures of birds, Pokémon, Sailor Moon, and American McGee's Alice concept art. I sat down and tried to copy without tracing (in hindsight that may have been a helpful thing to do in order to start understanding space on a page but I digress!) so my journey was always connected to access to the internet and my love of animation. As the internet grew from a clanky old square into the everyday immersive experience we now live within I have struggled with this evolution at times but ultimately find that it still serves an important role in human connection and the potential to learn and grow.
At McHenry County College in 2005, I studied studio arts, sculpture and photography and loved the sense of community there. I then attended Northern Illinois University, where I earned my BA in Art in 2009.
Through lived experience I have cultivated a belief in radical kindness with healthy boundaries, assuming positive intent, and the importance of building empathetic trauma-informed communities.
After an unfortunate hiatus creating after graduation, in 2016 my creative spark reignited during Inktober on Instagram, inspiring me to develop my own intentional creative practices. Venturing into digital illustration using the iPad and Procreate in 2017 opened new artistic horizons for me as well.
Not unrelated to my journey is my experience working in a Montessori setting with toddlers as a teacher for a couple of years as well as Head Start schools. I think many of the soft skills we learn in childhood benefit us for a lifetime and sometimes it is helpful to revisit that mindset.
In fall 2019, I started Mae's Adult Study Hall at The Native, providing a kind and accepting space for creative expression in public inspired by my love of working in the studio late at night in art school. <3
Through Mae's Adult Study Hall, I strive to create an inclusive space for individuals to explore or rediscover their creativity and also to help inspire folks to play more which we often forget to do (silly us ;)).
I am open to commissions in various mediums, I invite you to connect with me if you have a vision in mind!
Thanks for looking at my work and listening to my story!
Maeghan
Current Events
Mae's Adult Study Hall
at The Native, Chicago
&
Online at Twitch
Past Events
KristKrampus Market at The Native, Chicago, IL 12/22/2019
Legalized Market at Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL 1/1/2020
Level Eater X at Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago, IL 1/17/2020
Houseprov 26 at a House! :), Chicago, IL 2/15/2020
Vegan Market at The Native patio, Chicago, IL 10/2020
Adult Study Hall In Person at The Native, Chicago, IL 6/24/2021
The Gateway Vegan Market at The Native, Chicago, IL 6/27/2021
Adult Study Hall In Person at The Native, Chicago, IL 7/15/2021
The Gateway Vegan Market at The Native, Chicago, IL 7/25/2021
Photostrip Story Contest Fundraiser for Hope for the Day at The Native, Chicago, IL 3/30/2023
​
Awards
Julie White Photography Scholarship from McHenry County College,
Spring 2006
Best in Show in the McHenry County College Spring Student Art Show
for sculpture, Good with kids. Free to a good home.
Spring 2007
​