Adrienne Pike Adelphia is our May Artist of the Month from Ottawa. She is inspired by artist like Homer Winslow, Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Evenson.

How long have you been an artist or when did you start?

I’ve been an artist all of my life. I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember.

Was there a single incident or moment when you realized this was your passion and if so, would you tell us about it?

I’m not sure there that there was a specific moment. But, I do remember an assignment in first or second grade. We had to cut out a little figure and dress it as the profession we wanted to go into. My figure had a paint smock and a palette…

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Teresa Cash is the April Artist of the Month. She is from Naperville, and a proud creative Late Bloomer.

How long have you been an artist or when did you start?

It was a cold February day in 2011, a pivotal time, I remember it vividly. I had just celebrated my 58th birthday and I began to question if there was more to life than what I was experiencing. My life was good, yet I felt there was more. Sitting in silence with my heart wide open, I beckoned to be shown what I was meant to do. There became this "knowing" that I was meant to be creative. I was to be an artist.

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The greater Chicago area has once again been named number one metro in the U.S. for site selection according to Site Selection Magazine, which ranks major American metros based on corporate investment.

The city earned the top spot thanks to an influx of projects in Cook County funded by major companies like Facebook and Walgreens. Major corporations have flocked to Chicago to take advantage of its world class workforce, which boasts the second highest concentration of computer science graduates in the nation and the sixth most STEM worker in the country.

The growing number of corporations investing in Chicagoland does not end with the Cook County border. In neighboring Will County, multiple firms have built large distribution centers, including a recent investment from IKEA. Suburbs such as Arlington Heights, Bolingbrook and Naperville are becoming the new homes of manufacturing projects for companies such as IHerb and G&W Electric.

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Linda Webb is the March Artist of the Month from Peoria. Webb has years of professional art experince and her work has been featured in a few museums throughout the State of Illinois.

 How long have you been an artist or when did you start?

I’ve loved art for as long as I can remember. For over 20 years I’ve done art and design-related work professionally. I started as a graphic designer. As I gained experience, I transitioned to a full-time freelance illustrator and mosaic artist. 

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