Marla Shega

I grew up among the rolling hills of Pennsylvania along with 6 brothers and sisters and the sweetest mother on earth. When I was very young and began to develop an interest in art, my father advised me never to trace anything and it proved to be sound advice. I spent my youth drawing and painting, attending Saturday morning art classes at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh. I had the good fortune of having art every day in grade school, as well as a 3 hour Commercial Art class as part of the Vocational program in high school. I then attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where I made the Dean's List all 8 quarters. During that time I had the opportunity to study art for 2 months in Florence, Rome, Paris and London which proved invaluable. I moved to Chicago and began my career as a freelance illustrator for advertising agencies across the country, eventually creating designs for various markets such as paper goods for the stationery industry, book illustrations, wine labels, pewter ornaments, rubber and digital stamps, posters, etc. I was represented by artist agents in New York, Chicago, Dallas and Toronto. Clients included AT&T, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Turner Publishing, Burger King, etc. On a local level, I am enjoying selling limited edition prints of my artwork of Santa Claus and landmarks in Chicago at upscale shops in the area, donating a % of sales to local causes. I also enjoy accepting commissions for both private and business collections. I have always had a passion for art and hope to continue creating artwork that my customers enjoy for many years to come.