Rat Trap ArtistS
The Rat City Arts Festival paid 12 artists to beautify Rat Traps commonly seen across Allston
ANSIS PURINS
Ansis Puriņš is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist based in Boston, MA. When he’s drawing his latest graphic novel, he’s making comics for Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine and working on other projects for clients. He has won grants from the Xeric Foundation as well as the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (M.I.C.E.) for his work. Contact him for your illustration, concept design, and character trademark needs.
Corinn Colford
Corinn Colford, an acrylic painter based in Brighton, MA. She brings nature to life on canvas through her small art business, Corinn’s Creations. Her vibrant designs showcase plants, animals, and landscapes, distinguished by bold colors and playful charm. With a special affection for painting whimsical cats, Corinn invites viewers into a world where imagination meets the beauty of the natural world.
HYPOKRITES
Born out of the ashes of tragedy and a loss of purpose, Hypokrites is a reinvention of self and an uncompromising mindset where personal values remain true. Behind this entity lies a self-taught illustrator, sculptor, and mixed media maestro, whose essence is the culmination of outsider culture. The work of Hypokrites is meant to amuse their audience with content, amaze their viewers with technique, and allow people to question the classification of fine art. While the concepts and messaging of this work vary wildly, the primary inspiration will always be the music blasted out of every sweaty basement, sticky bar room, or crumbling venue willing to let the freak flags fly.
SOBEK
Sobek is Boston born and raised. Dorchester has always been home, and he accredits Mattapan Square for teaching him Graffiti. Already a young illustrator since 4th grade, he started learning aerosol and his love for the visual arts enhanced becoming his passion. Now Sobek creates large scale murals throughout the city of Boston and other states.
Jillian king
Jillian King is a Boston-based design strategist and doodler passionate about creating connection and building empathy through storytelling. In their art, they infuse the mundane with whimsy, sparking awe in the everyday and celebrating local communities. While their practice ranges from comics to traditional art and illustration, they're most drawn to vibrant colors, simple color palettes, and graphic eye-catching designs. Once the owner of three pet rats, Jillian now admires their rat neighbors from afar.
MARIA CUNEO
Maria Cuneo is a mixed media artist based in Allston-Brighton, specializing in painting, drawing, and fiber arts. Drawing inspiration from the natural world, she specializes in depicting plants and animals, utilizing bright colors and strong but simple linework to communicate the whimsy and personality of her subjects. Often working with upcycled and at times unconventional materials, she dabbles in a wide variety of craft mediums, bringing an experimental and exploratory quality to both display pieces and functional objects. As a member of the local DIY music scene, Maria has done design work for local musicians, including album art, T-shirts, stickers, and show posters. Her work has been featured in the Silber Way Exhibition as well as in local private art spaces.
AURORA WHIMSY
Aurora Whimsy bloomed from the mission to paint one hundred of something, anything, much like Georgia O’Keefe sought to paint one hundred flowers and doors. The choice to paint frogs and toads was arbitrary, they have simple outlines, they are super cute, and infamously turning gay. My passion for these silly little creatures allowed me to experiment with different art mediums, learn new skills, and unpredictably find a community of people who believe in the value of undisputed adorableness. Primarily, creating art is for me and brings me happiness; but there is an undeniable thrill when someone sees a piece and says “oh my god that’s so cute”. I am continuously amazed at the outpouring of support and recognition for my amphibious creations. Although I am almost halfway to one thousand frogs/toads, I do not plan on stopping.
Maura ‘Moe’ McGonagle
Maura ‘Moe’ McGonagle (they/them) is a seasoned illustrator first published in the prism award nominee ‘Being True’, and most recently in the ‘Let Her Be Evil’ anthology coming out this year. Best known for their vibrant style, they aim to create dynamic work that draws you back again and again.
Their new series, The Pirate Nun, can be found on Webtoons.
Naia Poyer
Naia Poyer (aka Deathcap Decor) is a Brighton-based nonbinary painter and sculptor. Located at the intersection of the natural and the uncanny, their work primarily centers around the darker sides of nature (think bones, decay, fungi, bioluminescence), and/or queer bodies and relationships. Oh, and also definitely frogs. Starting in June, you’ll be able to find their work for sale locally at the newly opened Brighton Emporium!
Naia is also an award-winning graphic designer and author of several short stories that appear in the Night Bazaar dark fantasy anthology series.
Follow them on IG @deathcapdecor and @naiadartdesign, or on Facebook at Deathcap Decor and Naiad Design.
TASHA ZINOS
Tasha (they/she) is an artist and organizer based in Boston, MA. They strive to cultivate meaningful networks of artists and other cultural workers as a path toward greater liberation through creative community building. Their work is a synthesis of the spiritual aspects of religious art, cinema, and a secret third thing.
SAM ORLUK
Sam Orluk (they/she) is a writer and artist living in Allston-Brighton, originally from Revere. They enjoy all mediums of art. This is their first painted rat trap. You can follow their selfies, art, and travels @samnoelo on Instagram.
Jamie reinhold
Jamie is a queer illustrator from Rochester, NY with roots planted in Boston, MA since 2019. A MassArt alumni, their work is intended for a young audience and those of us who choose to stay youthful by engaging in the natural world with whimsy and curiosity. Their strength lies in their versatility from traditional to digital mediums, always with sophisticated detail and oftentimes with a sense of humor.
