Raised with arbitrary midwestern boundaries, through the era of quiet modesty, Jill Nahrstedt recently grabbed a front row seat in the class of modern exuberance. Painting either in her home studio in Chicago, on walls around town, or from a hotel room high above her latest adventure, she is feverishly seeking the thrill of marks discovered.  After earning her degrees in art and education, she dedicated over fifteen years to public service. Through her current paintings and practice, she is hell bent on making art a thing for everyone. 

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Layers of figures and drips, cacti and pools, architecture and peonies, build up to replicate the depth of experience Nahrstedt draws from to create. A trajectory that passed through blue collar grit and the gray areas of loss spit her out on the other side to joy. Inspired by the ecstatic pleasure found in the most simple, she is propelled forward by the lush layers one can build over time and the desire to share them. Nahrstedt loves a visual journey and wants nothing more than for you to join her. 

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These days she can be found burning experimental screens at Spudnik Press; printing, painting, drilling, and tinkering in her home studio, and connecting people through any means possible because we all should thrive. She has shown her work locally and nationally, and painted murals from Hawaii to Edgebrook. She is also raising your future boss with a heart of gold, a highly sensitive dreamer like herself, and an ornery puppy, with her husband on the far north side of Chicago.