Artist Caitlin Palagi has paintings on display at the library’s first-floor Gallery Wall through the end of December. Caitlin Palagi is an independent artist at Caitlin Palagi Creations. Caitlin’s artwork has been showcased in galleries throughout the greater Chicagoland area. This fall, she will also begin teaching for CAPE (Chicago Arts Partnership in Education).
Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you were an artist?
Art really intersected my life in high school and once again in college. As a medically complex student, recovering from trauma, I was constantly encompassed in my own anxiety or the anxiety of others. Art allowed me to briefly transcend the realities I was dealing with and gave me the capabilities to explore the emotions I was not yet equipped to handle. Although art did leave my life for a time after this, and it would be years until I became a working artist; this was the foundational experience of becoming an artist for me.
What is your background? How does it inform your art and your poetry?
I am a primarily self-taught artist. I pursued an art minor at Saint Xavier University; however, I chose to graduate in 2012 without completing my minor after a six-year struggle to finish my course work through chronic and acute medical issues.
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and went on to work in research and software sales for years before staying home with my two children to take care of their medical and developmental needs. I reentered the art world in 2023 as an independent artist under Caitlin Palagi Creations. The juxtaposition of coming from such an analytical background and stepping back into my original creative roots has brought me joy in process art.
I enjoy sharing my love for intuitive artwork with local mental health groups in the Fox Valley area to join wellness and creativity. I am an active member of my local arts community. My artwork has been shown at local galleries in the greater Chicagoland area; it can also be found in both my customer’s homes as well as local business establishments spanning from Florida to St. Charles, IL. I thoroughly enjoy connecting with people. I am an instructor at Water Street Studios School of Art in Batavia, IL and a regular visiting artist for CAPE, Chicago Arts Partnership in Education.
Where do you find inspiration?
I have switched my focus to intuitive art over the last year. I no longer set out to paint specific compositions or even utilize reference photographs in the vast majority my work. And in doing so, I find more inspiration has come about than ever. Whatever is happening in my life is mirrored on the canvas. Be it the small daily things that get me up in the morning or the larger things that I’m working through independently or with my family.
What are some of your favorite artists and poets?
As a child I was drawn to the works of Emily Dickinson. I have always been very empathetic and emotive, but I found it difficult to properly express both qualities. Art in various forms was a good outlet. I recall delving into Emily Dickinson’s poems as a young child, and finding them so inviting, and yet others’ perception was that they were depressing. For me, Emily felt everything. She felt her own feelings and the feelings of everyone else around her, and that was very relatable. My favorite from her will forever be:
“If I can stop one Heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease on Life the Aching
Or cool one Pain
Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again
I shall not live in Vain.”
Growing up I was visually drawn to the freedom of Monet’s palette work, but I loved the boldness and unusuality of Frida Kahlo’s work. Monet’s work was aesthetically appealing, but Frida’s dared to make people uncomfortable and delivered a message. This was something else I found both relatable and aspirational.
When people view your artwork, what do you want them to experience and think about?
While I make my artwork from my own unique perspective and hope to share stories connected to my own vulnerability, I hope that people will also take an introspective vantage point. My artwork is meant to be emotive in nature and connect people’s own stories and experiences together. This exhibition tells a story of the struggle, need, and realization to be present in the moment through motherhood, disability, caregiving, and an innate propensity to dream.
