After years of talking about it, we finally got to collaborate on a mural with our best buds Jeffrey and Josh of J&S Signs.
Commune PDX is a coworking space created by The Initiative, which is an accelerator program, business bootcamp, and funding resource for female founded cannabis businesses. They basically let us have free range on this mural, and it’s one of our favorite projects to date.
We luuuuuuv good coffee, and good coffee is Stumptown Coffee. We visit their cafes whenever we are in the PNW, and we were delighted to get to work with them on their first cafe in Chicago.
The sign was created using mirror gilding, a technique involving gold leaf, water and a lot of patience. The effect is inimitable and sparkling, just like the coffee!
We designed this mural and executed it with the help of students and faculty at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. St. Norbert’s motto is To Teach By Word And Example, which felt like the perfect sentiment to paint into a long and narrow hallway in the Fine Arts building. The students introduced us to the concept of communio, which means acknowledging and celebrating the fact that our community is made up of people from different cultures, ethnic groups, generations, backgrounds, statuses, skills, abilities, ideas and all other uniqueness that make us who we are. We had a blast and hope that this inspires students and visitors of St. Norbert College for years to come.
We are so honored to have worked with Claire Tibbs to decorate the first-ever intersectional children’s store in Chicago! The beauty of the shop’s interior definitely called for an overhaul of the exterior. Logo and brand elements were created by designer and artist Ria Neri.
Some photos from Jaclyn Rivas and Ryan McDonald.
Oil-gilded address numbers, doors and windows for Found Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.
Oil gilding involves painting a clear oil-based leaf adhesive and then applying sheets of 23k Deep Gold by hand. The finished result is a brilliant and prismic effect that stands out at every angle.
Our greatest accomplishment of 2017 was co-curating The Pre-Vinylette Society: An International Showcase of Women Sign Painters in Chicago, alongside Meredith Kasabian of Best Dressed Signs (Boston). The week-long event commenced in September, with over 30 women sign painters from 8 countries painting three murals on the facade of the Chicago Art Department gallery. The murals were designed by Tone Emblemsvåg (Oslo, Norway), Shelby Rodeffer of Finer Signs (Chicago), and Anna Frederick (Des Moines, Iowa). A huge opening night, a mimosa-fueled, two hour panel discussion the following afternoon, a group photo and the Pre-Vinylettes were an official coven.
We were lucky to be given the opportunity to exhibit work and teach hundreds of children and community members the basics of sign painting at the John Michael Kohler Art Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. for 3 weeks, we led daily workshops and created a mural and six paintings for the Artery wing.
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Exhibition Artists-in-Residence (ExAIR) offers students exciting opportunities to meet and work with renowned artists exhibiting at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. Participants learn more about the art in the galleries and explore the creative process with the artists.
Through guided and independent practice, this workshop covered effective layout, patterning and transfers, basic styles, and more. Creating hand-painted signs started with a message that was built into a layout and pencil sketch. With an understanding of how letters are drawn, students formed the basis for building their brush skills—leaving the workshop with their own imagined and created hand-painted sign.
Located in Humboldt Park, The Shelby is a classic corner tap serving a great lineup of burgers, beers, and baked potatoes.
The owner was inspired to name the tap “The Shelby” as an homage to his roots in Memphis, Tennessee. Naturally, we couldn’t pass up a chance to work with a fellow Southerner and to paint one of our names on a big brick wall!
Every year in Chicago, we look forward to the Pitchfork Festival lineup announcement, because that means spring is right around the corner!
This year’s festival announcement artwork was created by our beloved Camilo Medina, an artist and musician who is on the come-up in both avenues. It was a special treat to get to paint artwork made by a friend!
Field & Florist is a Chicago flower farmer and florist. Molly & Heidi specialize in local and sustainably grown florals for weddings and events. In addition to a rotating offering of flowers from the farm, the shop carries an edited selection of gifts, home goods and art objects.
We relish the opportunity to work with other women-owned businesses in our city and to build up our local community and neighbors!
Mural created for the cover of Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago 2017 issue. Painted on the back wall of Kimski in Bridgeport. We got some really interesting sunburns from this one!
Art Direction by Sue Kwong | Photography by Danielle A. Scruggs
Action shots by Julian Baker
Another fun collaboration with lettering superstar Kyle Letendre, this time for Sprout Social. We painted Kyle’s design on a wall with chalkboard paint, so that Sprout team members could contribute to the murals and collaborative energy in their workplace. Art Direction by the amazing Rusty Cook.
Designed, hand-painted and gilded custom graphics for Wild Dogs, a mobile hot dog vendor opening soon in McCarthy, Alaska. The trailer features portraits of the dogs of McCarthy as well as an 8' 22-karat Chicago-style hot dog #neverketchup.
Tryptic mural designed to honor Mother's Day, Mother Earth, and to promote the Chicago Art Department annual Fundraiser, the Crystal Ball.
Read about it here! Big thanks to Pitchfork for hiring me again, this time to live paint the announcement for the 2017 US festival lineup. In order to keep the lineup secret, these walls had to be painted without a layout, only baselines and center lines.
Watch the headliner announcement here, and the followup announcement here.
Her Bookshop is an inviting neighborhood bookstore and community space in Nashville, Tennessee. We got to design some custom lettering for Joelle's store slogan, as well as a Maurice Sendak quote.
This mural was created in collaboration with TBWA Chiat Day and Nissan to promote the Nissan Rogue at Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators.
Interior and exterior painting for The Kombucha Room, a popup kombucha taproom in Logan Square featuring 20 rotating taps.
Johnny's grill is an old-school diner with an Irish twist, located in the heart of Logan Square. Attached to it is a Mezcal bar full of plants and smoky drinks.
The Pitchfork Review 10: The Festival Issue
Read all about it here! Mike Renaud and Noelle Bullion had the great idea to paint a tour bus for the cover of issue 10. They hired Stevie Geeto create spot illustrations and asked me to paint them onto the facade of the 40-foot bus...which I did (with major assitance from Julian Baker) in two-and-a-half sweaty days. Lucy Hewett then captured it in all of it's golden-hour glory. It later served as a respite spot at Pitchfork Music Festival.
Aluminum sandwich board signs for our buddies at Safe House Tattoo, Nashville TN.
We met Mary and Aaron of Pilsen Community Book Shop after their store had been broken into. In the process, their painted door had been smashed, so we replicated the previous design for them.
Later, when they needed a very inexpensive update for their bay windows, we helped them design a new vinyl decal to replace their old one. If you're ever in Pilsen, their beautiful shop is a must-see.
Solo show at Sawtooth Print Shop in Nashville, Tennessee.
