This March our Coffee Hound Featured Artist is Lexi Aarestad, whose work will be on display at our Normal location through the end of the month. Trained at Illinois State University and inspired by nature and animal forms, Lexi “enjoy[s] all forms and expressions of art” but “focus[es]” mostly on drawing and painting” with a style that implements “chunky paint with bold strokes that simplistically express the form depicted.”

When asked what she hopes people take away from her work upon viewing it, Lexi explained, “I want people to enjoy the aesthetic of how the paint is handled while looking deeper into the political message that every painting has.”

Previously, Lexi’s work has been featured at a few amateur shows such as the McLean County Annual art show, and other business around BloNo.

Looking forward, Lexi says, “I’m always in the process of building on bigger paintings that I’m not sure I will ever finish but serve as a practice tool to keep my mind engaged in art.”