The Naked July Collection—Part II

As noted in an earlier post, there is more to the Naked July Festival than the four shows that grace the performing space throughout the month. The lobby of the National Pastime Theater is filled with paintings, drawings, and photographs created by several local artists, and all pieces are available for purchase. Throughout the month, people who visit the lobby can participate in a silent auction and submit bids to purchase one or more of the pieces of art on display. The winners of the auctions will be announced at the end of the Festival.

One large painting shown here is a piece titled “Bluebees” and is the work of an artist named John Bickel. He maintains a website called “Art Signs” and the site is filled with examples of the artistic signs that he has created for a variety of stores and restaurants. If you would like to view more of Bickel’s work or get a quote on a custom project, you can click this link to visit his web site.

Another large and visually compelling piece in the Naked July Collection is this painting titled “Broken Promises” by Kim Aigner. Aigner’s online gallery is filled with dozens of outstanding samples of her paintings including stylized portraits, colorful still lifes, and amazing abstracts. Her philosophy of art is simply stated on her site: “I paint life as I see it - the good, the beautiful, the bad and the ugly.” Click this link to visit Aigner’s web site to view her gallery or contact the artist.

Mila Ryk is a Chicago-based artist who was born in the Ukraine and now maintains a studio in Morton Grove. There are several colorful paintings by Ryk in the Naked July Collection including the beautiful piece titled “Prelude” shown here. You can see her work at art festivals all around Chicago and the suburbs. More information about Ryk's exhibitions and art work can be found on her website titled “Imaginary Expressionism.”

Ursula Rivera created the set of three paintings shown below, and there are works by many other artists on display throughout the run of the Naked July Festival. Be sure to arrive early when you come to see the shows so that you have time to view the art and place a bid to purchase a piece for your own home.