Featured Artworks

Cumaru This piece was created for Altierra Kitchens and Furnishings / Development Group. The design was inspired by the prominent use of the Cumaru tree throughout this state-of-the-art development in Oak Park. The tree serves as a metaphor for strong roots and the essence of a solid foundation in building a new home. Sweeping hills and flowing water reference the vitality of the natural world, and extend to the energy of the surrounding community. Together, these elements reflect a sense of connection—between environment, structure, and the people who inhabit the space. The tree and sun are rendered as three-dimensional forms, surfaced with tile and mirror to create depth and reflectivity. This piece is located at 1133 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL.
Recrudescence This installation, titled Recrudescence, is located at 1000 Lake Street in Oak Park and was created for Albion Residential Oak Park. The title refers to the revival or renewal of something, reflecting the work’s focus on growth, transformation, and the spaces we call home. The design begins at the ground with mosaic “carpets,” referencing the rich, global tradition of rug weaving and the beauty of human-made patterns. From there, the composition moves upward through shifting forms and colors, gradually transitioning into elements inspired by the natural world and culminating in blooming forms. This transition marks a space where the boundaries between the built environment and nature begin to dissolve. It is what I think of as “the space between”—a place where distinctions soften, and a deeper sense of connection emerges.
Kyra I was invited by Kyra’s family at Copeland Manor School in Libertyville to create a memorial honoring her life after she passed away from cancer. This project became a collective effort, bringing together students, families, and the broader school community to create a space that celebrates Kyra’s spirit while offering a place for reflection and connection. Located at the entrance of the school, the piece was designed as a place where people can sit beside her—holding both memory and presence within the daily life of the community. It was a profound honor to work closely with Kyra’s parents, her sister, and her twin sister throughout the process. The installation stands as a tribute to Kyra’s love, her generosity, and the impact she made in her nine years. Small circular mosaic stones incorporated into the piece were created by some of her closest friends, embedding their voices and memories directly into the work.
Pieces of Us This piece explores both personal and societal perspectives of ourselves and others. Up close, the eyes appear fragmented and pixelated; as the viewer steps back, they gradually come into focus. This shift reflects how our understanding can become distorted when we lack distance or fail to consider the larger picture. My work is often rooted in reflections on mental health and the ways we relate to our communities and to one another. This piece speaks to the fluidity of perception—how easily it can be shaped, limited, or clarified through awareness. The circular forms throughout the composition represent wholeness, suggesting that at our core we are complete, even as we navigate growth and self-discovery. At the same time, these circles can be read as fragments of lived experience—moments of joy, distraction, love, conflict, habit, and temptation—the constant stream of information we process each day. These elements hold the potential to support growth or lead us astray, depending on how we engage with them. Ultimately, the work reflects on the importance of perspective, self-reflection, and the conscious shaping of our experience over time.
The Prairie Nestled between two buildings along a pathway connecting one busy street to another, this piece invites viewers to momentarily step away from the surrounding activity. The design evokes a prairie-like sensibility, encouraging a sense of calm and reflection while recalling the presence of nature within an otherwise fast-paced, urban landscape.
Urban Wildflowers Located at Albion Residential in Oak Park, this three-column series was created to celebrate the beauty of nature within an urban setting. There is something magical about encountering small clusters of flowers glowing along quiet country roads—unexpected moments of color and life that catch your attention and invite pause. This work draws from that experience, translating it into a vertical, architectural form that lives within the rhythm of the city. The columns act as markers of softness and growth, offering a subtle contrast to the built environment. In doing so, they bring a sense of that quiet wonder into daily urban life, reminding viewers of the presence of nature, even in the most structured spaces.
Stand Up Located in the heart of the Gulch in Nashville, Tennessee, this piece pulls directly from the grit and pulse of the city’s urban culture. It’s a nod to spray paint—the movement, the energy, the marks that live somewhere between intention and accident—and to the artists who leave pieces of themselves behind on walls. There’s something honest about a drip. In my own work, and in the work I’ve watched evolve on the street, drips aren’t mistakes—they’re evidence. They hold time, motion, and instinct. In spray paint especially, they’re celebrated, sitting right alongside the controlled line, blurring the boundary between what’s planned and what just happens. This piece leans into that tension. The surface moves like a system—layered, fragmented, connected—like a puzzle constantly shifting into place. It speaks to how we exist within urban culture: building off each other, overlapping, supporting, sometimes colliding. The drips pull your eye up and down, creating a rhythm that feels alive, a little unpredictable. There’s a sense of play in it, but also something deeper—a reminder that within the structure of the city, there’s always movement, always energy, always something unfolding just beneath the surface.
Stand Up Phase 2 Phase 2 of Stand Up, part of this body of work, came the following year as a mural built to sit behind the columns. It pushes a bold, almost disorienting optical play—something that shifts as you move past it—pulling you into the surface. At the same time, it stamps the space with a raw, unmistakable sense of Nashville. It’s loud, direct, and rooted—holding its ground within the flow of the city while locking the whole installation into place.
The Village This piece (one of two) was created for the Oak Park Commons building and exists in dialogue with its counterpart. While the second reflects the outward energy of connection, this work turns inward—considering the quieter, more reflective aspects of shared living. The design holds a balance between presence and pause, individuality and belonging. It speaks to the internal rhythms of the community: the moments of stillness, personal space, and reflection that exist alongside connection.
The Village 2 This piece (two of two) was created for the Oak Park Commons building, a space rooted in fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and intergenerational community. The building is designed to encourage connection while honoring individuality, privacy, and a diversity of perspectives. The composition reflects this foundation through a sense of openness and flow—suggesting the ways people come together, form relationships, and shape a shared environment. It captures the outward energy of the community: its movement, its interactions, and the collective spirit that brings the space to life.
Amalga 2020 Amalga is located at 1500 Sherman Avenue at Albion Residential in Evanston. The piece is inspired by the essence of life and the shared forms that connect all living beings. The outer shell reflects the physical curves we share with animals, plants, and other life forms—an interpretation of the visible structures that define our existence. Within this form exists something less tangible: the mystery, stories, love, light, and color that each of us carries. These inner qualities are not immediately seen, but gradually revealed. Every living being holds a unique and complex interior that shapes its journey. With this piece, I hope to inspire a return to curiosity—the instinct to look deeper within ourselves and to recognize the depth, beauty, and light in others. It is an invitation to move beyond the surface, and to engage with both the known and the unknown with openness rather than fear.
Pittsburgh This piece is located in the heart of Lawrenceville within a new apartment building. It was created to celebrate the historic character and architectural beauty of the row houses that line the streets of Pittsburgh. As the first phase of a two-part installation, this work introduces the visual language that will extend into a larger, exterior piece. The second phase will occupy the side of the building, expanding the composition across a broader surface and incorporating a greater number of structures to further immerse the viewer in this architectural landscape.
Daydream This design was created for the pool deck of a residential building to invite a sense of calm while drifting into a whimsical daydream. Shapes and colors move playfully across the surface, sparking imagination and opening the door to memory and wonder. There is a quiet magic in how color and form can transport us—back to moments of youth, possibility, and the small, vivid memories that settle into our hearts over time. This piece encourages that sense of wandering, where the mind can float, explore, and rediscover the joy of simply imagining.
OGGI This 10' x 12' mosaic was created through a collaboration between Margo Rush of OGGI Chicago Gallery and Anna Soltys of SoltysART, alongside ten young artists from the Heart of Chicago. The piece draws inspiration from the neighborhood’s rich Italian heritage while also celebrating its evolving cultural landscape. Installed on the exterior of OGGI Chicago Gallery at 2451 S. Oakley Avenue, the work reflects the space’s mission as both a gallery and community hub dedicated to bringing art, people, and ideas together. Designed by Anna Soltys, the mosaic was brought to life in collaboration with ten local teens, who received stipends for their work and were introduced to the mosaic-making process. The project serves as both a visual tribute to the neighborhood and a meaningful investment in its next generation of artists.
Community is Everywhere Victoria Soto partnered with Anna Soltys, a mosaic and ceramic artist, to develop a student-centered ceramics program and a culminating mural project. This grant provided the time and space for meaningful collaboration, allowing us to meet regularly to plan curriculum, organize supplies, design the studio layout, and establish a functional kiln room. Anna brought extensive knowledge to the process, creating a true partnership. Together, we developed a curriculum that encouraged students to explore handbuilding, surface techniques, and storytelling through clay, culminating in a large-scale mural composed of slab-built ceramic tiles. The project also supported professional development for both the classroom teacher and teaching artist, helping us connect the curriculum to students’ lived experiences while exploring the historical and contemporary significance of clay as a medium. Students were further engaged through a field trip to Lillstreet Art Center, where they were introduced to ceramic studio practices, including wheel throwing, and gained insight into professional studio environments. By the end of the semester, students drew from their learning, experiences, and collaboration to design and create a large-scale ceramic tile mural installed at the school. The final work celebrates connection—within the school, across neighborhoods, and throughout the broader communities the students identify with.
The Heart of Hubbard Hubbard Woods invited me to collaborate on an expansion of a mosaic program originally created by Mirtes Zwierzynski in 2010. Following the school’s facility expansion, the goal was to reintroduce mosaic as a lasting part of the curriculum while creating space for students to contribute imagery that reflects their own voices, interests, and experiences. This project is deeply rooted in community. Every student in the school participated in the creation of this arch, making it a collective expression of the student body. Through this process, students were not only introduced to mosaic techniques, but also given the opportunity to see themselves reflected in a shared, permanent work of art. This arch is one of five located along the hallway. The first was completed in 2025, with two additional arches planned for 2026 and the final two scheduled for 2027. Together, they will form an evolving installation that continues to grow with the school and its students. It is a true honor to carry forward the work that Mirtes began, and to help build something that connects generations of students through a shared creative experience.