Why The art institute was the perfect setting for a Chicago artist's engagement shoot.

The Art Institue of Chicago felt like the perfect setting to capture a Chicago Artist's engagement photos. As an artist, I am often finding ways to imitate life through my paintings and imitate art in my own life. For Grant and I, art has played a crucial part in our love story.

*Photos taken by Kelsie Herzog*

As our incredibly talented photographer Kelsie Herzog led us through the Art Institute of Chicago, I felt emotional. Perhaps because I'm getting married in a year, but more so because I was given the opportunity to truly reflect on what the Art Institute has meant to me. The place that once felt like my sanctuary was now the space in which my fiancé and I got to express how much we loved each other. Although the Sunday morning was buzzing with tourists and gallery goers, Kelsie made us feel and look like we were the only ones in the building. She captured us in the awe of the art, the intimate moments and whispers of I love you. She directed our slow dances amongst statues and kisses amongst Monet. Any nervousness or awkwardness was washed away by the magic of our surroundings. 

I’ve lived in Chicago for almost 10 years now….Wow, that feels crazy to say. And although my first few years in college, I had put my painting dreams on hold to study Graphic Design and business, I found myself consistently walking up the stairs to greet the Emerald Lions and roaming the hallways to see art I had already seen so many times before. Though my brain wasn’t always listening to my true calling, my heart knew what felt like home. 

October 6, 2015

Art used to be the most important thing to me. Then came Grant. What felt so beautiful about the beginning of our relationship was Grant’s immediate immersion into my passion for Art. We had bonded over our favorite music, street wear and stand-up comedy but his familiarity with painting wasn’t too in-depth. He asked me question after question about my process, my influences, my dreams.  Within a few weeks of us dating, he was offering rides to Michaels. In the summers, he sat on a chair on our porch sipping on craft beers and playing DJ while I worked. For our first Valentine’s Day, he got me tickets to the Monet exhibit at The Art Institute. Within a year and a half, we were on a plane to Florence, Italy so I could see my favorite painting, The Birth of Venus in person. While we were there, he gushed over The Statue of David, Botticelli, Caravaggio’s shield of Medusa, and the The Dream and Allegory of Time by Marcello Venus. 

Florence, Italy April, 2022

Watching Grant fall in love with art was watching my two worlds collide in the most beautiful way. My heart was full. I imagine it’s what the inventor of peanut butter and jelly felt like. Or the first time someone dipped a strawberry in chocolate. The two things I loved most, falling in love with each other. 

When I decided I wanted to be an artist, I wasn’t sure about having a partner for life. It felt impossible for me to share all of the feelings I had about my process, the goals for my career, the art I wanted to create with another human. My cynicism was a mix of a broken, exhausted heart and the stories of artists who had come before me.  When Grant entered the scene, my perspective was different. What I hadn’t realized was how much I wanted someone to not only support my art, but love art— love artists, appreciate their perspectives, and their hyper-sensitive nature. Loving art feels like loving me. 

My once broken heart told me that only good art can be made with a presence of pain. With Grant, my art has gotten better--empowered. My paintings have transitioned from radical, reckless emotional throw-up to researched, reflective storytelling. His belief and love in my craft has translated into encouragement and confidence. My love for painting has only increased. Art was once my sanctuary and now I get to share it with the person I love the most.