News — AQUA Art Miami

Flog sees people for who they really are. The French painter — one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical Gallery at Aqua Art Miami 2025 — exposes the emotions and experiences below the surface, bypassing our exterior selves to capture the true essence of our beings.

Flog’s deft, dazzling blend of aerosol spray, acrylics and oils gained international attention following the 2020 introduction of his signature Human of Glass character, within whose transparent body the colors and complexities of life swirl and splash. Vertical Gallery first exhibited Flog’s work on American shores in 2022, and presented the artist’s debut U.S. solo showcase, the sold-out ‘Rewind,’ at SCOPE Miami Beach 2023. We next reunited in May 2025 for Flog’s first New York City solo show, ‘Hand in Hand.’ 

What does Flog have in store this time around? Find out in the latest installment of our Artist Spotlight series. 

Vertical Gallery: What adventures await your Human of Glass character at Aqua Art Miami 2025?

Flog: For this year’s edition of Aqua Miami, I wanted to revisit a series I had set aside for quite some time. This new body of work revolves around the symbolism of overcoming adversity, using a metal fence as the central obstacle my character must cross — one way or another. What awaits on the other side is left entirely to the viewer’s imagination.

Along with the introduction of the fence motif, I’ve also been exploring new variations in the character’s clothing. It’s something I’ve been experimenting with lately because it allows me to bring in new accents of color and create stronger visual contrasts.

Which colors are you embracing this time around, and what feelings and thoughts do you hope to evoke?

In this series, I’m not focusing on a specific palette in the traditional sense. The emphasis is more on symbolism than on color itself. That being said, the sky is very present as a metaphor for hope and dreams — so naturally, shades of blue appear throughout the paintings.

After exhibiting with Vertical Gallery in New York City, you headlined a solo show in London. How did those two exhibitions differ, and how did they feed into the work you have planned for Miami?

The London show, much like the Miami presentation, centered on the character interacting with a recurring symbolic element to tell new stories. The NYC exhibition, on the other hand, explored oversized objects connected to the character’s identity. But the biggest evolution — both in London and now in Miami — is the introduction of a female Human of Glass figure, which opens up new narrative possibilities.

Why did you choose to introduce a female figure?

The Human of Glass was always meant to be genderless, but over time I realized that many viewers subconsciously perceived it as masculine. Introducing a second figure felt like the right step — one that will allow me to tell new stories moving forward. And if this helps women or young girls connect more personally with the character, then it’s absolutely worth expanding its universe.

How else has your relationship with the Human of Glass evolved over the years?

My relationship with the character remains fundamentally the same as in the beginning. But with each passing year, I feel more confident pushing the symbolism further, creating bolder narratives, richer details and more vibrant compositions.

What do you hope the Miami audience takes away from experiencing this collection of work?

I chose a universal theme, and I hope viewers will read it in a positive way — as a reminder that nothing should hold us back when we have a dream to pursue.

Vertical Gallery will present four new paintings by Flog (@flogartwork) at Aqua Art Miami, which runs December 3-7. Email sales@verticalgallery.com for the collector preview.  

It’s been less than three months since Laura Catherwood co-headlined the Vertical Gallery group show ‘The Scenic Route’ opposite Joseph Renda Jr. and Jerome Tiunayan. But in that time, the painter and illustrator published her first book, the career retrospective ‘Gestures from the Field,’ and relocated from her native Chicago to bucolic Rochester, N.Y. Last but not least, she’s one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical at Aqua Art Miami 2025. 

Laura updates us on her new life and previews her newest work in the latest installment of our Artist Spotlight series. 

Vertical Gallery: Tell us about the work you’re showing at Aqua Art Miami 2025. 

Laura Catherwood: It’s essentially a direct follow-up to my ‘Scenic Route’ body of work. There are eight pieces: two 20-inch by 30-inch oil paintings, and six 11-inch by 14-inch drafting film drawings. ‘The Scenic Route’ also combined larger oil paintings and drafting film drawings, but that collection was about setting out on an adventure; it was the end of part one. This is the start of part two. The animals are a little deeper in, and it’s like “How do we find our way around here?”

All the drawings are titled “They're Always With You,” and each one has its own [parenthetical] title, which comes from whatever activity is happening in the drawings. All the pieces feature a main animal, and then in the background, there are blue animals alongside them. I wanted those blue animals to feel kind of ghostly and separate physically, so I added another sheet of drafting film. Instead of three layers [of drafting film], there are now five, because each sheet adds a front and a back, which gives each piece so much more depth. 

The inspiration behind “They're Always With You” is our Chicago community. My husband and I extracted ourselves from that community to come to Rochester, but all those people are still with us. We're still supporting what they're doing, and their efforts still affect us. There’s togetherness despite the distance. The title also ties back to grief, the ongoing theme of my work. People you care about may be physically gone, but they're always there with you. 

Are the creatures in these new paintings and drawings native to upstate New York?

Yes. The animals are also native to the Midwest, which connects this body of work to ‘The Scenic Route’ — the fox is a key character in both. But there are different birds and plants involved. One of the large paintings in the last show was a great blue heron, and instead of just using that bird again, I chose to use the great white egret, which is also found in Florida, so I thought the Aqua people would like it, too.

What are your initial impressions of your new environment?

It's an autumn wonderland. The foliage has just been insane. We live in a historic district, and sometimes I think I might be in a coma, because this is exactly the neighborhood environment that my brain would dream up for me. It's so beautiful. Everyone is so nice.

A big move like this drudges up a lot of big feelings, especially after living someplace for so long. It makes you intensely aware of what's most important in life. This moment is also very special because it's almost like the quarantine times, where no one's expecting me to be anywhere at any given moment. I have complete freedom over how I spend each day. It's like entering a new zone in a video game.

It’s difficult being away from the Chicago art community, though. With Instagram, I can still see what everyone's up to, but the thing with art is that it's always more amazing in person. It stings to miss out on [Chicago gallery] openings, but that’s one reason why I’m so grateful to go to Aqua: I’ll get to see some of my friends’ work there. And there are new people to get to know here in Rochester. I already found an artist I love.

Will viewers recognize Rochester’s impact on the work you’re exhibiting in Miami?

I don't think it’s a stark difference. It's still very much me and what I do. I'm still the same person — I’m just moving forward.


Don’t miss the opportunity to add work by Laura Catherwood (@laura.catherwood) to your collection! Email sales@verticalgallery.com to receive our Aqua Art Miami 2025 collector preview.

Pop-surrealist polymath Adam Augustyn conjures candy-colored dreamscapes inspired by animation, mythology, music, horror movies and the obsessions of his three daughters. 

The Chicago-based painter — one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical Gallery at Aqua Art Miami 2025 — first appeared on our walls as part of 2021’s ‘Water the Plants!’ A second Vertical group show, ‘Atomic Number 13,’ preceded Adam’s debut solo showcase, 2022’s ‘The Sky Is Falling,’ a collection grappling with the proliferation and normalization of fringe conspiracy theories. He returned to Vertical two years later for ‘Hero’s Journey,’ a deeply personal celebration of adventure and discovery. Discover what’s next for Adam in the latest installment of our Artist Spotlight series. 

Vertical Gallery: What do you have in store for Aqua Art Miami?

Adam Augustyn: This collection is about heartbreak, isolation, adaptation and reconnection — how I resist change, and my desire to freeze time and stand still. As my kids get older, I look for ways to stay connected to them but also hold on to each moment. I have been married to my wife for 25 years, and as our relationship evolves, there is resistance and fear to that, but also, I look forward to it. I tried to capture this push and pull throughout the collection.

I drew inspiration from other artists who explore similar themes, and included nods to their work. There’s a painting reminiscent of the Frida Kahlo piece “The Wounded Deer,” and another is inspired by Winslow Homer’s “Fox Hunt.” These influenced pieces visually and thematically, and, in some cases, rebelled against my interpretation of what was intended. Each painting includes an animal or insect based on how their symbolism reinforces the story.

I associate your work with human figures. Where does the animal motif come from?

There was a piece in my previous show with Vertical that [gallery owner Patrick Hull] and others responded to — a heron with a mask and graffiti painted on it. I was excited about that as a jumping-off point. As I sketched, nothing was working. I started reverting to my comfort zone and worked on portraits, but they were not capturing what was in my head. After trying a variety of subjects, I circled back and thought “You know what the answer is? Animals.” Which is exactly where we started. 

A lot of research went into this collection. I love to hide meaning in little details. I include symbols from religions, mythology, fables, old stories, old paintings, references to Chicago. What I put in paintings ebbs and flows through the whole series. Elements of the first painting sneak into the second, and so on. It helps me feel like the collection is more cohesive. 

Sometimes, I worry that the concept can get a little muddy. I’m not sure if what I am trying to say is clear or if I strayed too far away from the original intention. I feel like I’ve gone off too far — like “Oh, I put too much stuff in.” But when I share the work, I usually end up where I wanted to go. I think the distance from the painting helps me appreciate it more: I finish a piece, hate it, and then, three paintings later, it’s my favorite one.

Is this love-hate relationship with the work unique to you, or have you found your peers feel the same way? 

I think it’s common, but I find that, especially for me, it’s about being too close to a painting. Once it’s done, I don’t want to look at it for a bit, because I will nitpick details and second guess. When I get some distance from it, those things tend to stand out as the parts that make it feel unique, or a little bit more fun. 

Your work typically features bright, pastel colors — a palette that’s very much aligned with Miami Beach’s Tropical Deco aesthetic. What colors can we expect from this newest collection?

I don’t know if it’s as pastel, but they are saturated with color.

When I started, I wanted a unified background, so I painted all the backgrounds in kind of a cool blue-green. It was the first thing I threw out the window. It just didn’t work for me. I felt a little constrained by it. Each individual piece needed its own lighting and its own color to really set the mood and tell its story.

What do you hope the Miami audience takes away from this work?

I hope they can see the struggle in each piece and relate to that. Trying to adapt while also resisting change. Finding hope while struggling.

I love talking to people and finding out what a piece means to them. I believe my art is for the viewer as much as for me. I know what I am trying to say, but what attracts the audience to the piece is just as important. If it’s different from what I intended, I think that is great.

Vertical Gallery will feature eight 9-by-12-inch acrylic paintings on aluminum panels from Adam Augustyn (@adammaugustyn) at Aqua Art Miami, which runs December 3-7. Email sales@verticalgallery.com for the collector preview.  

Jerome Tiunayan’s spirited, narrative-driven paintings bring to life the semi-autobiographical misadventures of his signature character and the boy’s faithful canine sidekick — a Hero’s Journey for our postmodern age. 

The Brooklyn-born, Chicago-based painter, one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical Gallery at Aqua Art Miami 2025 (December 3-7), first appeared in our space as part of 2024’s Summer Group Show, and resurfaced at year’s end for our annual Holiday Group Show. Jerome returned this spring for the gallery’s 12-Year Anniversary Show, and in September, he co-headlined ‘The Scenic Route’ opposite Joseph Renda Jr. and Laura Catherwood. Discover what’s next for Jerome in the latest installment of our Artist Spotlight series. 

Vertical Gallery: Tell us about the work you’re exhibiting at Aqua Art Miami 2025.

Jerome Tiunayan: After ‘The Scenic Route,’ I wanted to do something more lighthearted — something where I could experiment, and let loose a little bit. This is my first time showing in Miami, and I wanted to capture the audience’s attention. 

The overall title I’m working with is ‘Main Character Syndrome.’ I’m an only child, and each of these six paintings [depicts] a different scenario that I daydreamed about as a kid to pass the time and have fun — for example, imagining myself as a samurai. 

I made a conscious effort to strip away the environments, because I didn’t want the character doing stuff in the real world. I wanted to see how compelling I could make the work when he’s not doing anything other than sleeping, which is why in one piece he’s drooling, and in another he looks kind of like a cherub. It's all about restraint, and how far I can go with that restraint.

How has growing up an only child impacted your body of work as a whole?

It is everything. I say that not trying to be dramatic about it — I tacked on the title ‘Main Character Syndrome’ because I feel you can’t take yourself too seriously. But I like to think that I was preparing my whole life to be able to do this work, and being an only child has definitely helped that. I have very vivid memories of spending most of the day alone on the floor with my drawing utensils and paper, just locked in. What I do now is a lot more elegant and cleaned up, but it’s the same shit, really. 

Most of my work is autobiographical to a degree, especially the work that I did prior to the paintings I’ve shown at Vertical — the more macabre, black and white shit. I used myself as the model for all of it, not only because it was easier to not have to scour the internet for references, but because I knew what I wanted it to look like, so I could just pose however I wanted it to be.

I like making work that has me in it, because I know what went into it, what it means to me and what I'm trying to say. Being an only child lends itself perfectly to that, because I've had my whole life to just ruminate and sit in my own thoughts and figure things out. It makes approaching the work — this type of work, at least — that much easier. 

Why did you leave behind the “more macabre, black and white shit” in the first place, and why did you decide to incorporate these elements back into your practice?

I moved away from it because it didn't feel authentic to the life that I was living anymore. I started working in that way when I was in college, because I thought it would be fun to confine myself to only working in pen, which translated into ideas in line with this dark, monochromatic sort of look. Eventually I got to a place where it felt less like what I wanted to do and more like what I thought people expected from me, which is a recipe for a slow death. 

At that time, I was super afraid of painting backgrounds. It was always too hard, so I just avoided it. But that got boring after a while, so I decided “I'm just gonna do all backgrounds now. Let's see what happens.” That’s when I started introducing color, to make it as lively and vibrant and as accurate to the real world as possible.

[The black and white imagery] found its way back because it worked perfectly with how vibrant I wanted the Miami pieces to be. I thought “Okay, I can go as crazy as I want with black and white. It won't be visually overwhelming because it's just grayscale, and it'll contrast nicely with the flat colors.” The black and white also allowed me to pull in all the references from old movies. It all just put itself together. 

Is your character maturing in tandem with the maturation of your work? Or is he more in line with a character like Charlie Brown, who’s stuck forever at eight years old?

I don't like the idea of him getting older as I get older. I don't even have a specific age for him. I just like the idea of me figuring out better, different ways of communicating the things I think and the ideas I have as I get older. I want to retain the innocence of a young kid and his dog, you know? I think he’d lose a little bit of that if I was to portray him as a teen. 

How do you hope the Miami audience responds to this body of work?

I hope it resonates with what they daydream about. I also hope It's evident that I put a lot of care into it, and a lot of love and attention into it. 

Really, though, I hope they just feel something, even if they hate it. Obviously, who doesn't want people to love their stuff, or at least like it? But it can be just as useful and just as beneficial for a creator to have somebody not like your stuff, because that says just as much. You can learn a lot. The worst thing is apathy. That’s a dead end.

Don’t miss the opportunity to add work by Jerome Tiunayan (@gohomejerome) to your collection! Email sales@verticalgallery.com to receive our Aqua Art Miami 2025 collector preview. 

Joseph Renda Jr. juxtaposes painstakingly realistic images against audacious surrealistic flourishes to illuminate the interconnectedness of all living things.

The Chicago-born painter and muralist — one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical Gallery at Aqua Art Miami 2025 — has been a mainstay of our programming for close to a decade, appearing in a series of group shows before making his solo debut with 2020’s ‘Biophilia.’ ‘Larger Than Life,’ which explored humankind’s outsized impact on nature, followed two years later, and this past September, Joe co-headlined ‘The Scenic Route’ opposite Laura Catherwood and Jerome Tiunayan. Discover what’s next in the latest installment of our web-exclusive Artist Spotlight series. 

Vertical Gallery: What do you have in store for Aqua Art Miami?

Joseph Renda Jr.: The work I’m exhibiting is about escapism, to an extent. I’ve done work in the past where I've [depicted] little people painting a cloud or some aspect of the landscape, but this new series is about creating your own perfect world when the real world is not so great. That's what I feel we do as artists: we try to create perfection, even though we're never going to achieve it.

The work that I create is always going to have some type of serious undertone, but there's so much going on in our world that I wanted to create something a little bit brighter and more colorful. I’m doing a lot with crayon texture, which ties into childhood and how children think. They’re very optimistic — they don't really see the bad things, and when they draw, it's to create something happy, or something that makes them happy. Whereas adults draw to express something that doesn't make us happy or that we don't understand, or to learn about something. I’m trying to combine those two perspectives. 

The crayon textures bring to mind “Through Innocent Eyes” [from 2022’s ‘Larger Than Life’]. That was a collaboration with your younger brother, correct?

He never drew on the actual painting. He did the drawing of the house that I painted. But yes, that piece was also about escaping into how a kid draws, and how they create versus how we create. 

The funny part is that I'm painting how a child draws, which is how an adult would do it. I should just use crayon and be done with it, but no — I'm spending hours painting how a kid draws. 

It’s also funny because I never drew as a kid, or went through the process of being creative, which is why no one ever thought that I would become an artist. My mom said I drew for a couple months, and then my dog ate my sketchbook, and I never drew again. 

“My dog ate my sketchbook” is comedic perfection. Before we move on, let’s go further into the crayon textures. This kind of painstaking attention to tactile detail recurs throughout your work. Why is that so important to you? Why do you always refuse to take the easy route in favor of doing the thing that is so arduous? What is the fulfillment that you get from that?

There are two sides to it. The fulfillment I get is that I love technique. I love mimicking texture. If I didn't have to worry about money or worry about selling things, I would create still lifes, because I love figuring out metallics and dirt and all of these things. It's a puzzle for me, and solving it brings me fulfillment.  

On the opposite end, it gives value to the work when the viewer knows it's not just a crayon. It’s the whole trompe-l'œil, “tricking the mind” type of thing — spending hours making this thing look like it took a second. 

What kind of trial-and-error process goes into perfectly capturing the textures you’re emulating?

It depends on the texture. Because I've painted crayon before, I've already figured out that process. I also know that certain colors don't show up as crayon as much as other colors. Yellow really looks like crayon, and green looks like crayon, too, but not as much as yellow. It's just a matter of how much pigment's in it, if it's more transparent, if it's more opaque… things like that. 

With new textures, I used to do studies. I'd have a sketchbook where I would gesso the pages and just try to figure it out. But now, I don't really have time for that, so I'm just going for it. I've been doing it long enough that I can stare at something and figure it out. You're basically deconstructing how things are made, and determining what layering process you need to do to get it to look like that. 

Do you take notes, or maintain any kind of resource you can refer back to?

I should take notes. There are things that I've painted, like bronze, where I always forget what colors I used before and what process I used. That's why I liked using sketchbooks, because I would take notes in the sketchbook. I'd love to get back to doing that at some point. We'll see.

What response are you hoping to get from the Aqua Art Miami audience?

I definitely want people to appreciate the technical aspects, like realizing that the crayon is painted and things like that. But I hope they look deeper, too. When I showed in Brussels earlier this year, people were telling me stories about my paintings that were philosophical, sociological, psychological — just deep. It wasn't just one or two people, either. Every single person looking at my paintings was pulling out something that I intended, and then expanding upon it. I've never experienced something like that at any other show I've been in, so for Miami, I tried to create work that was more visually appealing as kind of an experiment to see how the audience responds.

I’ve been to [Miami Art Week] five or six times, and the best thing about working and showing there is watching people interact with the work. When you see all the people just walking by your paintings, it almost hurts. You’re like “Why is no one coming and looking at my paintings? I suck.” And then you get the random people that walk down the aisle, turn their heads and do double takes, then come in to experience the work. That's who you're making it for. 

Vertical Gallery will feature six new paintings from Joseph Renda Jr. (@j.renda_artist) at Aqua Art Miami, running December 3-7. Email sales@verticalgallery.com for the collector preview.