For the Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown, Susan Maddux recently created a series of hanging textile works that play into the hotel's relaxed and inviting aesthetic, layered with pops of color and nods to classical architecture. Designed by the Gettys Group and featuring over 2,000 artworks curated by Indiewalls, the hotel evokes the coziness of a living room in the center of a bustling urban environment. Maddux's works for the hotel blend seamlessly with the elegant sophistication on-site.

“The work that I’m currently doing came out of being a painter for many years in New York. When I moved to LA a few years ago, I decided to start taking the paintings off the stretchers and reconfiguring them, working through all kinds of ideas." From this experimentation, Maddux's folded canvas works combining elements of both painting and sculpture was born. For Maddux, this creative breakthrough helped her connect more to her work and grow as an artist. “I had sort of been struggling with the painted, stretched surface. Getting into the 3 dimensional world and having the flexibility to play with the painted canvasses opened my mind to a lot of new possibilities.”

Often influenced by the vibrant colors of Hawaii, where she grew up, and Los Angeles, where she currently lives, Maddux has honed her technique from experiences ranging from her early years as a textile designer to her decades-long career as a visual artist. "Ive been working consistently with this for a while, but it’s always changing and I’m always experimenting with techniques, color schemes, and my process."

Read more about the Royal Sonesta Chicago Downtown on Sonesta's blog and check out the Indiewalls Project Gallery for more images.