Steven Chmilar, a Toronto-based artist, creates oil paintings that appear as scenes that are blends of surrealism and Dutch Renaissance influences. In both his paintings and his drawn “ad series,” the artist blends humor and subtle narratives that unfold upon inspection of each corner in a given piece. An upcoming solo show at #Hashtag Gallery, titled “Wrong Century,” collects his latest works. The show opens June 23. Chmilar was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
Both the rustic and storytelling-based aspects of his work can be rooted in his background, as stated: “Steven was born in Grande Prairie Alberta where he spent most of his childhood on a farm, helping with chores, drawing and building imaginary civilizations in the woods. While living in Calgary from 2000 [to] 2008, he played music professionally and won a national songwriting contest in the spring of 2006 at CanadaMusicWeek in Toronto. From 2008 until 2012, he lived in Victoria BC, where he painted and performed as a solo musician.”
Today, Chmilar focuses primarily on his work in painting. He’s been part of a few group exhibitions in recent years in Toronto and San Francisco, but the upcoming #Hashtag show marks his debut in exhibiting solo.
Chicago based 
Sarah Ball's oil paintings, subtle in their complexity, are intended for the viewer to encounter the portrait's subject intimately. The practice of physiognomy, or judging the character of a person just from their facial features or expressions, has long been a subject of fascination for the artist. In efforts like her current Anima Mundi show "Themself," she culls her subjects from historic photographic archives, social media, and beyond. "These source images become a starting point for a methodical process of understanding, assumption and translation, where the aesthetic ‘mask' and what lies beneath become the focus of engagement,” the gallery says.
Chilean artist