Our guest is Violet Luczak, an artist, educator, and designer who currently directs the graphic design program at McHenry County College.

In this episode, Violet speaks with host Christian Solorzano and co-host Hamid Alavi about her journey from graphic design to fine art, exploring how her formal design training influences her distinctive painting style. She shares insights about her creative process—collecting words and phrases as inspiration rather than beginning with visual references—and her transition away from commercial design.

Violet discusses her evolution as an artist, from her surrealist dairy-themed work to her current experiments with three-dimensional and interactive pieces. She talks about the influence of Chicago Imagists on her work and offers candid perspectives on building community within Chicago's vibrant art scene.

The conversation explores Violet's newest chapter: opening a storefront studio that she hopes will become more than just a workspace—a hub for creative community engagement and collaboration.

Music by the band Eighties Slang.