PROJECT ONWARD

Ruby Bradford b. 1985, Chicago, IL

Ruby Bradford's artistic career began as an apprentice artist at Chicago's Gallery 37. Her broad bold strokes brought new energy to Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, but her true genius showed when she painted images of her two heroes, Prince Charles and Superman.

Her frantically rendered paintings of these two strong leading men reflect an interest in bold characters and fantastical narrative. Even as a young child, Ruby's mother, Denise, explains that she watched The Adventures of Superman on television incessantly and that her first word - "super" was uttered while watching the show. Since Prince William's marriage, she has begun painting his portrait in earnest, a dramatic move in her artistic development, and she has recently been painting cat portraits as well.

Her areas of interest also include ceramics, puppetry, and pursuing a career as a pop music singer-songwriter. She has been attending classes at the City Colleges of Chicago part time and hopes to become an art teacher someday.