Mariam Paré is a local artist who paints using her mouth to hold the brush. At 20, she was shot in the back by an unknown assailant, an injury that resulted in quadriplegia. Despite losing the use of her hands, she continues to develop herself as an artist and mouth painter. Now 22 years later, she is a visual artist and designer. She is a member of Mouth & Foot Painting Artists (MFPA) and is celebrated for her colorful portraits and multimedia work that incorporate gun violence and disability awareness. Her paintings and other works have been exhibited worldwide and in the private collections of notable actors. Currently, Mariam continues to paint prolifically in her home studio in Chicago, dividing her artistic output between figurative, portrait and semi-surreal motifs.
Tom Perkowitz had a life-changing stroke in 2015. Before leaving the business world to become a professional artist, he was director of marketing for Chicagoland’s largest window fashions company. He loves to paint on a large scale and was thus drawn to murals. He even painted murals in his kids’ bedrooms and a hallway in their school. Since his stroke, his passion for painting on a large scale has been fortuitous, necessary even, as his sight has not been fully restored. He says that art therapy kept him sane during his healing process — not one to sit still, he would often paint between therapies. During his stay at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, his medical staff would come to watch him paint in his room. Usually painting with oil paints, Tom’s style straddles Impressionism and Realism, often in the same piece.
Cougar 18”x24”
Tyrannosaurus Rex 36”x36”
Imaginary Landscape No. 4 12”x16”
Triceratops 48”x36”
Still Life with Apples 16”x20”
Polar Bears 36”x48”
Imaginary Landscape No. 3 12”x16”
Xiphactinus Audax Triptych 16”x20” each
Sloth Love 20”x16”
Feathered Dinosaurs Tetraptych 12”x12” each
Horned Owl 24”x18”
Croatian Cobble Stone Street 36”x36”
Imaginary Landscape No. 1 12”x9”
Imaginary Landscape No. 2 11”x14”
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