"I want to capture the strength and vulnerability..."

D'yona McQuay was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. She's come to appreciate the city said to have a bad rep and it's not so rosy neighborhoods, yet it's unmistakably colorful murals, sculptures, mosaics, warm open spaces, high-end dainty shops and diverse communities  makes her view her home city as a diamond in the rough. Known as being the one of the most artistic cities in the U.S, she appreciates its complex beauty.

The daughter of a comic book artist, she's always had a knack for drawing and capturing the uniqueness of the human being. As a self- taught artist, her style of art, medium and purpose has changed over the years through illustrations and graphic art works.  As she saw the lack of colored subjects on the art scene growing up, her self-awareness pushed her to focus on drawing minority subjects. "People of color, especially black women, need representation in art spaces as well as online spaces. Their beauty and strength is always trying to be hidden or reshaped into something unappealing. I hope to embed that strength and vulnerability in galleries, art shows, or anywhere eyes can see." She has succeeded in having her art at the the Zhou B Art Center, Beverly Art Center, local shops, restaurants and numerous art shows. She plans on finishing her studies at Columbia in Chicago for a BA.