Kirsten Strauss spent her childhood in Illinois, California and Ohio, and after dropping out of college and spending several years bartending in New York City, moved to Chicago in 2007. Despite a lack of formal training, she works in the most traditional art medium, oil on canvas, within the oldest disciplines, portraiture and still-life. She is a new member of the Chicago Art Department and plans to work with the group to explore her many other interests, such as music, performance and installation. You can contact Kirsten at krstnstrauss@gmail.com