ELMHURST, IL.- Call summer 2012 at Elmhurst Art Museum rambunctious. Full bodied. Maybe even, gregarious. Exquisite comic book drawings, the craziness of a dual-ego artist, larger-than life sculptures of people inlaid with a profusion of complex patterns--and a gallery of still, beseeching portraits--welcome your curious spirit.

Michael Ferris, Jr.: Kindred
Michael Ferris Jr.'s large-scale sculptures of recycled wood take portraiture to an extreme. His figures, often of close friends and family, are massive; one torso measures more than five feet tall. Ferris' interest is in the balance of extremes; between the stoic and classical compositions of his sculpture and the tattoo-like patterns of painted wood on the clothing and flesh of each figure. As his process develops, Ferris' concentrates on infusing each portrait with genuine human presence.

Billy Tokyo
Billy Tokyo is John Dempsey. John Dempsey is Billy Tokyo. But you can call him Jack. John Dempsey's paintings are equal parts graffiti and illustrative patterns that create vibrant and approachable landscapes. Using the landscape around him as inspiration, Dempsey abstracts landmarks into splatters, curves and outlines that reflect the artist's inner feelings about urban locations. Heavily influenced by Japanese Pop Art and the Chicago Imagists, Dempsey's alter-ego, Tokyo, creates work that is bright and complex. Embracing a psychedelic rainbow palette, Tokyo packs every inch of space with commentary on contemporary culture and skewers stereotypes with ample wit and humor.

Anders Nilsen
Anders Nilsen: Adam and Eve Sneaking Back into the Garden to Steal More Apples
Anders Nilsen tells stories with pictures. Adam and Eve Sneaking Back into the Garden to Steal More Apples is an exhibition of stories from the 594-page comic book, Big Questions, and for Nilsen, a new exploration of fate. In this exhibition Nilsen carries through themes from the critically acclaimed book, Big Questions, to create his own versions of prints by Albrecht Dürer. Through sparse and delicate prose, Nilsen weaves narratives about searching and longing that transcend the pen and ink.

Heather Becker
Heather Becker: The Hidden Face
Becker's quiet portraits evoke longing and foreignness with distant
glances and delicate expressions. Haunting and expressive, Becker's emotional subjects are drawn from memory, not from models or photos. The women she creates are distinctly hers, each displaying features of traditional beauty, high cheekbones, large eyes and narrow faces, but none of her drawings are particularly beautiful. Instead, these women express stillness, as if they are too delicate to move or breathe.

Casey Roberts: Totally Free Now
Casey Roberts' paintings create small poignant moments, vaguely narrative and reminiscent of the most elegant children's book illustrations. Somewhere between bright playfulness and suggestive darkness Roberts' work creates a distinct atmosphere where empty space, nature and narrative become characters in the artist's own curious world. Roberts' world extends to his self-created process of merging photographic and household chemistry with traditional painting.