I go by the artist name MM. Born and raised in Highland Park, IL. I’m a self taught artist. I went to school at Northeastern IL University for Sociology and Women Gender Studies.
Some of my influences are Jean-Michel Basquiat, Cy Twombly and Jean Dubuffet. I sold my first painting to Jodie Foster. Most of my art is usually mixed media, considered to be abstract expressionism.
Favorite Materials: found objects, acrylic, oil, graphite, oil sticks, oil pastels, spray paint, soft pastels, gouache, graphite, markers, charcoal, water colour, and colour pencils.
*All of my work is sprayed with a fixative which preserves and protects the work of art. All paintings are ready to hang on your wall.
If you are interested in any of my large format paintings and/or sculptures that are on my Instagram message me. Also, if you live in the Chicagoland area and can pick up in Lake Forest, IL make sure you choose the pickup option to avoid shipping fee. And we will figure out a time that works for the both of us.
Artist Statement
My work lives in the space between instinct and spirit. Guided by feeling rather than concept, I create through an intuitive process—listening closely to what each canvas asks of me. I work primarily in mixed media, often combining acrylic and oil with materials like spray paint, charcoal, pastel, and found objects. These elements come together not by design but through a dialogue with the work itself. I don't begin with a set theme or narrative; instead, I let the energy of the piece unfold in real time.
I move with the piece, stepping back often to read its needs—what color wants to emerge, what texture needs to be felt, or what object may need to arrive. The materials I find on my walks often reveal themselves at the right moment, as if they’ve been waiting for the work to call them in. I see the canvas as a puzzle, where every mark, layer, and addition has a place—if I’m quiet enough to hear it.
Each painting resolves itself when the spirit tells me it is done. I’ve practiced this listening for years, and it’s become second nature—knowing exactly when to stop, what tone to follow, and when not to force anything. When I ignore that knowing, the piece resists me.
Most of my art work is considered to be abstract expressionism; though I also work in other styles like modern art, I view each series as a world of its own, bound together by the same approach: follow the flow, trust the process, and let the work lead.