PICTURES OF THE WEEK: Congratulations to Marita Valdizan on her Featured Artist Show at Gallery 200 in West Chicago, IL 'til End of June

Marita poses with her mixed media piece, "AWAKENING" now at Gallery 200 in West Chicago, IL...Scroll down to view more of her artwork...

Definitely stop by Gallery 200, 103 W. Washington Street, in West Chicago to admire Marita's work before her EMERGING IN GRATITUDE exhibit closes at the end of this month.

Gallery hours are:

Wednesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

• Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

As a metal crochet artist, Marita, joyfully describes her crochet hook as her “magic wand” leading to new adventures daily from designing wearable art and jewelry to producing mixed media “paintings” that are richly three-dimensional, as seen in AWAKENING above. Growing up in Peru has influenced her artwork by imbuing it with a rich, cultural heritage of imagery heralding back centuries in legend and lore yet still feels contemporary.

Several years ago, she learned Peruvian stitch wire crochet techniques directly from the artist/creator Juan Pacheco in Peru. Inspired by the monumental work done by her teacher, she implements other variations of the same technique using different sizes of crochet hooks and thicknesses of various types of colored wires.

In 2019, she was awarded the Gran Estrella de Plata in Peru where she was acknowledged as the world’s only Peruvian Stitch artist in Mixed Media application. Additionally, she is included in the book, TODAY'S INSPIRED LATINA Volume VI, that shares inspirational life stories of success in the face of language barriers, self-doubts and other obstacles.

Upon meeting Marita, you immediately sense she is an artist who puts her whole heart and being into her creativity. This latest show exudes with thoughtful expression where her intricate work demonstrates her views that mankind is all connected despite whatever cultural, political, or physical differences may exist. Her work also references how the COVID experience personally impacted her life and the personal transformation emerging from that dark time.

Her overall bold use of color and line along with the additional dimensionality of her metal crochet work, make her work highly unusual and interesting to view.

Learn more about Marita here: Marita Valdizan Art

SEEING THROUGH GRACE...Artist Statement: "Reflects resilience and transformation. The butterfly, with flower-shaped lenses, invites us to view life through gratitude after hardship. woven wire wings rise from a vibrant floral ground, symbolizing growth and renewal...this piece honors the quiet strength it takes to see beauty even in struggle."

THREADS OF HER STRENGTH...Artist Statement: this piece honors the quiet force of motherhood and ancestral memory. woven with wire and fabric, the figure rises like a mountain rooted, tender, unshakeable. A butterfly flies at her side, a symbol of transformation, freedom and the spirt that journeys with her. Each thread speaks of women's labor, land, and love passed down through generations. A tribute to the mothers who carry us seen and unseen.

CROWNED IN STILLNESS...Artist Statement: A quiet meditation on inner strength and feminine grace. Through texture, wire, and stillness, the crowned figure embodies beauty that radiates from within resilient, present, and sovereign.

TERRAIN OF THE SOUL... Artist Statement: Symbolizes the inner journey through a landscape that reflects personal growth and transformation. The butterfly wings, crafted from wire, fabric, and light represent resilience and deep self-connection. The artwork honors the invisible ties to the earth and celebrates the soul's awakening, blooming from its roots toward a renewed inner light.

THE THREAD THAT BINDS US...Artist Statement: These two figures do not walk alone. Between them, a wire-crocheted chain links their forms in a quiet gesture of love, memory, and belonging. each stitch becomes a sacred thread binding generations, bridging spirits, and connecting souls who endure, who witness, who remember. This thread is not merely material, it is story. It holds the weight of what we've carried, the light of what we're becoming, and the grace of what continues, even when unseen.