Isamu Guy Conners

Chicago, IL

“I want my art to look good and keep raising money to help The Arts of Life.”

Isamu Guy Conners (he/him/his) is no stranger to living a disciplined life to achieve his goals. With a keen sense of visual perception, Isamu has developed his own style of photorealism. Painting in a photorealistic style takes a great amount of patience and discipline, which has helped in other areas of his life. “I ran my first full marathon in 3:27:04,” explains Isamu. “I ran a marathon and helped the studio.” 

Utilizing a variety of media including colored pencils, paint, and oil pastels, Isamu's work focuses on the often-overlooked details that build life. Never feeling intimidated by the details in his reference photographs, Isamu methodically breaks down his compositions into the key qualities he wants to elevate. A feeling of depth, visual texture, and the character of the subject are always present in Isamu's paintings.

The Arts of Life has become a community that is incredibly important to Isamu. Arts of Life is an organization that provides artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities a collective space to expand their practice and strengthen their leadership. His fellow artists, the staff, and volunteers are ever present in his work. It can be easy to overlook the people and places you see everyday, but not for Isamu. Those are the details that he cannot ignore and they continue to bring him joy.