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Surreal Narratives Unfurl Between Animals in Laura Catherwood’s Dreamy Paintings

by Aurelia Butler 15 September 2025, 18:00

“Flying Lesson (Dusk).” All photos by Matt Wenc. Images courtesy of the artist and Vertical Gallery, shared with permission

Surreal Narratives Unfurl Between Animals in Laura Catherwood’s Dreamy Paintings

September 15, 2025

ArtIllustrationNature

Kate Mothes

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Curious foxes, sleepy fawns, and daring mice are just a few of the woodland creatures that populate Laura Catherwood’s dreamy drawings and paintings. Working primarily in graphite and oil, she situates recognizable animals into unexpected and fantastical situations in illustrations that “explore the inner emotional landscape while simultaneously soothing the viewer,” she says.

It often takes a moment to comprehend the scope of each of Catherwood’s scenarios. A pair of spotted frogs in “Rue,” for example, is not what it seems at first, as two heads emerge from one body, and their long tongues are both pierced with a fishing hook. And in “Inexhaustible,” a toad with an unusual, bowl-like back full of water provides a tiny oasis for a troupe of flying fish.

“Inexhaustible”

Catherwood is interested in the power of illustration to channel feelings, questions, and experiences that may be challenging or revolve around grief. Her scenarios are surreal and even a little cryptic, yet we’re invited to witness intimate, affecting, and enigmatic narratives that prompt curiosity and wonder.

A couple of these works are currently on view alongside Jerome Tiunayan and Joseph Renda Jr. in The Scenic Route at at Vertical Gallery, which runs through September 27 in Chicago.

Catherwood is also currently working on a series of nine small murals as part of a public outreach project about invasive species, plus a small body of work related to species found in Upstate New York, where she’s soon moving. And she’s also preparing for two solo exhibitions next year. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.

“Rue”

“Stirring”

“Listen”

“Flying Lesson (Dawn)”

“The Bridge”

“Hard to Find”

“Everything Happens for the First Time”

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PITR Highlights Storefronts, Signage, and Graffiti in Ultra-Detailed Portraits of Urban Streets
by Aurelia Butler 4 September 2025, 13:48
All images © Pizza in the Rain, courtesy of Mortal Machine Gallery, New Orleans, shared with permission
PITR Highlights Storefronts, Signage, and Graffiti in Ultra-Detailed Portraits of Urban Streets
September 4, 2025
ArtIllustration
Kate Mothes
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Whether portraying a graffiti tag below a retail window or the bond patterns of bricks, the artist known as Pizza in the Rain, or PITR, illuminates city streets and commercial ephemera in striking detail.
With meticulous attention to geometry and quotidian features, the Chicago-based artist highlights business signage and urban facades in an almost narrative way, with the occasional figure passing through on foot or on a bike. Simultaneously immersive and nostalgic, we’re invited in and at the same time reminded of disappearing vestiges of past eras.
From storefront to storefront, we can imagine PITR’s compositions are snapshots of one continuous city, even though many of the distinctive locations are in different places around the U.S. Many recent scenes are evocative of New Orleans, with boarded-up shutters, like those often seen in the French Quarter, or historical markers. Circo’s Pastry Shop is a real place in Brooklyn, and The California Clipper is a well-known lounge in Chicago.
PITR renders everyday details with equal importance, from sprayed markings on the sidewalk, like the kind the gas company might make, to weathered awnings and neon logos. Nothing blurs into the background in his portraits of individual buildings and maximalist city blocks. On one hand, the locations appear realistic, yet on the other, there is a sense of fantasy and surrealism in their precisely drawn, slightly dystopian imperfections.
If you’re in New Orleans, stop by Mortal Machine Gallery to check out these pieces alongside new works by Max Seckel in Parallel Structures, which opens on September 12. Explore even more on PITR’s Instagram.
Collaboration with Max Seckel
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‘Where’s Waldo?’ Meets Sarcastic, Dystopian Visions in Ben Tolman’s Elaborate Ink Drawings
by Aurelia Butler 28 August 2025, 17:22
“Apartments” (2025), ink on paper, 91.4 x 120.7 centimeters. All images courtesy of the artist and Galerie LJ, shared with permission
‘Where’s Waldo?’ Meets Sarcastic, Dystopian Visions in Ben Tolman’s Elaborate Ink Drawings
August 28, 2025
ArtIllustration
Kate Mothes
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Rendered in delicately cross-hatched ink, dozens of figures inhabit towering structures or assemble in crowds in the elaborate scenes of Pittsburgh-based artist Ben Tolman. Evoking the playfulness of Where’s Waldo? and the optical illusions of M.C. Escher, the artist conjures what Galerie LJ calls “a kind of human zoo.”
Opening next month, the gallery presents Tolman’s solo exhibition, Control, the title of which takes its cue from current events. Throughout the last 15 years, the artist has channeled an undercurrent of disconnection and imagined dystopian settings. His forthcoming show acknowledges the uncomfortable notion that some of these elements have become disconcertingly close to reality.
“Connected” (2025), ink and acrylic on paper, 109.9 x 82.5 centimeters
Tolman depicts faceless humans that move in sheeplike herds, “willingly following paths that clearly go against their own interests: technology, invisible barriers, belief systems, trends, politics,” the gallery says. The works in Control ask: how far are they (or we) willing to go? At what cost comes folly—or simply not paying attention?
In works like “Apartment” and “Routine,” anonymous figures mill about in individual, soulless boxes. Some appear to be working, relaxing, or socializing. Others just seem to stand there, staring into their phones. And in the darkly comical “Connected,” people queue to walk up a towering ramp structure, absorbed so much in their screens as they head up the incline that it’s too late before they realize they’ve stepped right off the precipice.
“With a generous dose of cynicism and voyeurism, Tolman portrays the eccentric truths and social failures of Western society,” the gallery says. “That’s what (he) is trying to understand—or to condemn. The future he sketches might seem bleak, were it not infused with a delicious sarcasm.”
Control runs from September 5 to October 4 in Paris. Find more on Tolman’s website and Instagram.
Detail of “Routine”
“Caution” (2025), ink and acrylic on paper, 72.4 x 117.5 centimeters
“Naked Bike Ride” (2025), ink on paper, 22.9 x 81.3 centimeters
“Routine” (2025), ink on paper, 68.6 x 55.9 centimeters
Detail of “Apartments”
“Migration” (2025), ink on paper, 61 x 91.4 centimeters
Detail of “Migration”
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Hypnotic Patterns Envelop Sofia Bonati’s Nostalgic and Stylish Imagined Portraits
by Aurelia Butler 29 July 2025, 17:19
All images courtesy of Sofia Bonati, shared with permission
Hypnotic Patterns Envelop Sofia Bonati’s Nostalgic and Stylish Imagined Portraits
July 29, 2025
ArtIllustration
Kate Mothes
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In the bold, imagined portraits of Sofia Bonati (previously), women gaze confidently from swaths of fabric and symmetrical organic elements. Whether cloaking her figures in geometric patterns or natural details like insect wings, each individual gazes directly at the viewer amid vibrant backgrounds and elegant garments.
Bonati often derives her patterns and outfits from historical sources, especially hairstyles and gowns from the early 20th century. Surrounded by optical designs and repetitive motifs, her compositions are as nostalgic and surreal as they are contemporary. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
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‘Outcasts’ Highlights the Scientific Contributions of Trailblazing Artist and Naturalist Mary Banning
by Aurelia Butler 28 July 2025, 22:09
Polyporus beattiei, Banning (late 1800s), watercolor on paper. All images courtesy of New York State Museum, Albany, shared with permission
‘Outcasts’ Highlights the Scientific Contributions of Trailblazing Artist and Naturalist Mary Banning
July 28, 2025
ArtHistoryIllustrationNatureScience
Kate Mothes
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In the 1800s, mycology—the study of fungi—was a relatively new field, emerging around the same time as Enlightenment-era studies in botany and herbal medicine. Science and art converged in works like Elizabeth Blackwell’s A Curious Herbal, along with German naturalist Lorenz Oken’s seven-volume Allgemaine Naturgeschichte, consisting of more than 5,000 pages dedicated to classifying everything from beetles and fish to mushrooms and ferns.
In the late 19th century in Maryland, Mary Elizabeth Banning (1822–1903) emerged as one of America’s first mycologists—and the first woman to describe a new fungus species to science. The self-taught artist and scientist is now the focus of a nature-centered exhibition at New York State Museum, Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms. The show features 28 original watercolors and detailed records of various mushroom species from the unpublished manuscript of her book, The Fungi of Maryland. In fact, of the 175 species she documented, 23 of them were unknown to science at the time.
Fistulina hepatica, Fr. (late 1800s), watercolor on paper
Banning’s manuscript is dedicated to Charles H. Peck, whose role as New York State Botanist—and an enthusiastic mycologist—at the NYSM formed the foundation of a 30-year correspondence with Banning. As a woman in an almost entirely male field, who also lacked formal biology degrees, Banning was largely ostracized from professional proceedings at the time, but her work did not go unrecognized. Peck published some of her findings in the Annual Report in 1871, and he kept her manuscript in a drawer at NYSM, where it remained for more than nine decades.
A handful of Banning and Peck’s letters are included in Outcasts, along with some of Peck’s lab equipment, mushroom specimens that Banning collected, and a dozen early 20th-century wax models of fungi from the NYSM Natural History Collection.
Along with Banning’s vibrant illustrations, the exhibition introduces visitors to the mycological universe, including prehistoric specimens like Prototaxites. A fossilized example of the ancient life form was found in Orange County, New York. Around 420 to 370 million years ago, these unique organisms would have towered over the landscape at up to 26 feet high.
Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms continues through January 4 in Albany. Learn more and plan your visit on the museum’s website.
Lactarius indigo, Schw. (1878), watercolor on paper
Agaricus Americanus, Peck. (1879), watercolor on paper
“Interpendencies” feature wall of ‘Outcasts: Mary Banning’s World of Mushrooms’
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The 16th-Century Artist Who Created the First Compendium of Insect Drawings
by Aurelia Butler 11 July 2025, 20:31
All images courtesy of the National Gallery of Art
The 16th-Century Artist Who Created the First Compendium of Insect Drawings
July 11, 2025
ArtHistoryIllustrationNature
Grace Ebert
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Nearly a century before the invention of the microscope and even longer before entomology became a field of research, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600) devoted himself to studying the natural world. The 16th-century polymath created an enormous multi-volume collection called The Four Elements, which contained more than 300 watercolor renderings, each depicted with exceptional detail.
As Evan Puschak of the YouTube channel Nerdwriter1 (previously) explains, Hoefnagel showed unparalleled talent in his field. Compared to one of his predecessors, Albrecht Dürer, Hoefnagel draws with a painstaking commitment to precision and accuracy, even depicting specimens’ shadows with impeccable fidelity. As Kottke writes, “his paintings were so accurate that if he’d lived 200 years later, you would have called him a naturalist.”
While drawings in three of the books appear to mimic other scientific renderings of the period, Hoefnagel seems to have created his works by studying the insects themselves and sometimes even included parts of their bodies in his compositions. His Fire volume, full of beetles, butterflies, and other arthropods, is thought to be the first of its kind.
Some of Hoefnagel’s works are on view at the National Gallery of Art in Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World, which ventures back to the 16th and 17th centuries to explore how artists and naturalists have historically been aligned. It’s also worth looking at the museum’s interactive archive that lets viewers zoom in on several of Hoefnagel’s drawings.
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From Vietnam to Nepal, Lee Me Kyeoung Expands the Geographic Bounds of Her Corner Store Drawings
by Aurelia Butler 11 July 2025, 18:47
Mirissa, Sriranka. All images courtesy of Lee Me Kyeoung, shared with permission
From Vietnam to Nepal, Lee Me Kyeoung Expands the Geographic Bounds of Her Corner Store Drawings
July 11, 2025
ArtIllustration
Grace Ebert
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Tucked into mountainsides and among bustling streets, small corner stores are often a central point in a community. For Lee Me Kyeoung (previously), these local shops provide endless inspiration for an ongoing series of drawings. The Korean artist documents the tiny markets she encounters around the world, utilizing pen and acrylic to create exquisite visual odes from Australia to Turkey.
Me Kyeoung’s drawings were recently collected into a book, and you can follow her work on Instagram.
Göreme Cappadocia, Türkiye
Husei, Japan
Dhampus, Nepal
Chefchaouen, Morocco
Hoian, Vietnam
Arhangai, Mongolia
Ubud Bali, Indonesia
Ross on Wye, U.K.
Sydney, Australia
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‘Inside Information’ Cutaway Diagrams by Dorothy Dig Into the Makings of Pop Culture Icons
by Aurelia Butler 16 June 2025, 13:39
“Inside Information: Boombox.” All images © Dorothy, shared with permission
‘Inside Information’ Cutaway Diagrams by Dorothy Dig Into the Makings of Pop Culture Icons
June 16, 2025
ArtDesignHistoryIllustration
Kate Mothes
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Taking diagrams to a new level, U.K.-based studio collective Dorothy creates prints that celebrate information—charts, maps, alphabets, color wheels, and blueprints. The team has also plunged into the world of cutaway drawings, which are popular for visualizing otherwise opaque, multilayered objects in the manufacturing world.
Cutaway diagrams have actually been around for centuries, with the form originating in the 15th-century notebooks of Italian Renaissance engineer Mariano “Taccola” de Jacopo. Dorothy’s twist on the 3D graphic form, a series titled Inside Information, is a celebration of pop culture and modern technology, from Apple computers and sneakers to boomboxes and theremins.
Detail of “Inside Information: Boombox”
Each object teems with figures and motifs that have been instrumental in the item’s history and culture, like trailblazing rappers and hip-hop artists who wander stereo box innards in “Inside Information: Boombox” as if it’s a building. The same goes for the Moog, which highlights flashpoints in its development and musical icons like David Byrne and Led Zeppelin who have contributed to its popularity—along with its namesake, of course, Robert Moog.
Prints are available for purchase on Dorothy’s website, and you can follow updates and releases on Instagram.
Detail of “Inside Information: Boombox”
Detail of “Inside Information: Boombox”
“Inside Information: Claravox – Special Edition for Moog Music”
Detail of “Inside Information: Claravox – Special Edition for Moog Music”
Detail of “Inside Information: Claravox – Special Edition for Moog Music”
Detail of “Inside Information: Claravox – Special Edition for Moog Music”
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Dr. Ella Hawkins Reimagines Ancient Artifacts and Prized Objects as Edible Replicas
by Aurelia Butler 31 May 2025, 18:28
William Morris Biscuit Set. All images courtesy of Ella Hawkins, shared with permission
Dr. Ella Hawkins Reimagines Ancient Artifacts and Prized Objects as Edible Replicas
May 31, 2025
ArtDesignFoodIllustration
Grace Ebert
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Academic research is notoriously niche and often opaque, but Dr. Ella Hawkins has found a crowd-pleasing way to share her studies. The Birmingham-based artist and design historian translates her interests in Shakespeare performance, costume, and matieral culture into edible replicas.
Hawkins bakes batches of cookies that she tops with royal icing. Decorating takes a scholarly turn, as she uses tiny paintbrushes and a mini projector to help trace imagery of William Morris’ ornate floral motifs or coastal scenes from English delftware. Rendering a design on a single cookie can take anywhere between two and four hours, depending on the complexity. Unsurprisingly, minuscule calligraphy and portraits are most demanding.
Ancient Greek Pottery Sherds
Hawkins first merged baking and her research about a decade ago while studying undergraduate costume design at the University of Warwick. She decided to bake cupcakes based on Shakespeare productions that her class examined. “It felt like a fun way to look back at all the different design styles we’d covered through the year,” she tells Colossal, adding:
I carried on decorating cakes and cookies based on costume design through my PhD (mainly as goodies to give out during talks, or as gifts for designers that I interviewed), then branched out and spent lots of time doing cookie versions of other artefacts to keep busy during the pandemic.
She has since published an academic book on the topic and is a senior lecturer at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. But she also continues to translate artifacts and prized objects held within museum collections into delicious canvases.
There’s a set made in collaboration with Milton’s Cottage, a museum in the country house where John Milton finished his epic Paradise Lost. Anchored by a delicately crosshatched portrait evoking that of the frontispiece, the collection contains typographic titles and signs that appear straight from a 17th-century book.
Delftware Tiles
Hawkins ventures farther back in history to ancient Greece with a collection of pottery sherds inspired by objects within the Ashmolean Museum. With a bowed surface to mimic a vessel’s curvature, the irregular shapes feature fragments of various motifs and figures to which she applied a sgraffito technique, a Renaissance method of scratching a surface to reveal the layer below.
The weathered appearance is the result of blotting a base of pale brown-grey before using a scribe tool to scratch and crack the royal icing coating the surface. She then lined these etchings with a mix of vodka and black food coloring to mimic dirt and wear. (It’s worth taking a look at this process video.)
Other than a select few preserved for talks and events, Hawkins assures us that the rest of her cookies are eaten. Find more of her work on her website and Instagram.
Medieval Tiles, inspired by The Tristram Tiles, Chertsey, Surrey, England (c. 1260s-70s)
Milton’s Cottage Biscuit Set developed in collaboration with Milton’s Cottage
Outlander Biscuit Set
Elizabethan Gauntlet Biscuit Set
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illustration

Latest story

Surreal Narratives Unfurl Between Animals in Laura Catherwood’s Dreamy Paintings

More stories

PITR Highlights Storefronts, Signage, and Graffiti in Ultra-Detailed Portraits of Urban Streets

‘Where’s Waldo?’ Meets Sarcastic, Dystopian Visions in Ben Tolman’s Elaborate Ink Drawings

Hypnotic Patterns Envelop Sofia Bonati’s Nostalgic and Stylish Imagined Portraits

‘Outcasts’ Highlights the Scientific Contributions of Trailblazing Artist and Naturalist Mary Banning

The 16th-Century Artist Who Created the First Compendium of Insect Drawings

From Vietnam to Nepal, Lee Me Kyeoung Expands the Geographic Bounds of Her Corner Store Drawings

‘Inside Information’ Cutaway Diagrams by Dorothy Dig Into the Makings of Pop Culture Icons

Dr. Ella Hawkins Reimagines Ancient Artifacts and Prized Objects as Edible Replicas

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