Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, Kayla Mahaffey grew up learning to appreciate the charm and soul of her city. The world around her showed how beauty still coexists between the grittiness of our society and how the line between whimsy and reality blurs from time to time. Occasionally, taking inspiration from media and adding two-dimensional or abstract elements, her colorful paintings contain hints of whimsy and realism that tell a story of life’s journey, nostalgia, and communal topics that sometimes go unheard.