About Melissa Arostegui

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Melissa is a Chicago-based artist whose work explores storytelling, human connection, and the assumptions we make about others. From an early age, she was captivated by personal narratives. Though reading was a challenge as a child, her mother—an accomplished artist—nurtured her love of storytelling by reading to her. This passion for stories led Melissa to create a neighborhood newspaper at age eight, interviewing and writing about her neighbors, an early indication of her deep curiosity about people’s lives.

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Melissa’s interest in storytelling evolved into painting, where she captures everyday moments and challenges perceptions. Influenced by David Hockney, Elizabeth Murray, and Alex Katz, she developed her distinctive style while earning her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

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Her work has been featured in exhibitions across Illinois, including her solo show Beyond the Surface: Assumptions Unveiled at Air Studio & Gallery in Glencoe. Her paintings have appeared in Art & Beyond and Create magazine and were displayed on a banner in West Chicago. Recent group exhibitions include BFF: Modern Portraits at 33 Contemporary Gallery in Florida, Dear Jazz at the Fulton Street Collective, Chromatic Convergence at the Zhou B Art Center, and Refreshing Feminism at Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.

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Rooted in community, diversity, and human connection, Melissa’s work encourages viewers to pause, reflect, and reconsider the narratives they construct about others. Through her paintings, she strives to honor personal stories and create a space for deeper engagement and understanding.

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Artist Statement

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My art is all about stories—whether still life or figurative, each piece captures an experience, an emotion, or a moment that feels meaningful and leaves you wondering what’s really happening. I love creating work that sparks curiosity, inviting people to pause and imagine the story behind it. In a way, my art is a visual diary. It’s how I process my thoughts, reflect on experiences, and share moments that have stayed with me. Some of these stories are mine, some belong to others, but they all come together to explore what it means to be human. For me, the best part of creating is the connection it builds. I want my work to pull you in, make you think, and maybe even see a bit of your own story in it.

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