Vertical Gallery, Chicago’s premier urban-contemporary art gallery, is very proud to present ‘The Scenic Route,’ a special group show celebrating the talents of Joseph Renda Jr., Laura Catherwood and Jerome Tiunayan.

‘The Scenic Route,’ on display Sept. 5-27, commemorates Vertical’s steadfast commitment to creativity and camaraderie: Renda, Catherwood and Tiunayan are not only mainstays of the gallery’s programming slate, but all three Chicago painters play significant roles in its day-to-day operations. Renda began assisting visiting artists and supporting show installs in May 2016; Catherwood signed on as gallery manager in January 2021; and Tiunayan joined the team part-time in October 2024, soon after relocating from his native Brooklyn.  

“It is an absolute pleasure having these incredibly talented, trustworthy artists in shows and working with them at the gallery,” says Vertical owner and curator Patrick Hull. “Some galleries would call ‘The Scenic Route’ three solo shows, but we call it what it is — a group show allowing these three to exhibit their strongest work to date.” 

About each artist: 

• Joe Renda juxtaposes realistic images with audacious surrealistic flourishes to illuminate the interconnectedness of all living things. In addition to headlining two solo gallery shows, 2020’s ‘Biophilia’ and 2022’s ‘Larger Than Life,’ he curated Vertical group shows including ‘Water the Plants!’ and both installments of ‘Atomic Number 13.’ 
  
  Renda’s contributions to ‘The Scenic Route’ explore themes of visual perception via arch-shaped panels painted like windows. “There’s a bird in each painting, and the bird represents the story each painting tells,” he says. “There’s a trompe-l'œil aspect to the windows. It feels like you could fall through them.” 
  
  

• Laura Catherwood’s mysterious, often mournful images unpack her inner world, where fauna, flora and the fantastic coalesce. A series of group show appearances predated her 2022 Vertical Gallery solo debut ‘Book of Yielding.’ ‘Hearsay’ followed in late 2023, and six months later, Catherwood returned with ‘All Things Stirring.’ Her contributions to ‘The Scenic Route’ summon energy and inspiration from the golden hour — the interval between sunrise and sunset. 

• Jerome Tiunayan synthesizes personal storytelling, comics-inspired illustration and gallows humor to recast the Hero’s Journey for our postmodern age. Tiunayan first appeared at Vertical as part of 2024’s Summer Group Show, and resurfaced at year’s end for the annual Holiday Group Show. He was most recently featured in the gallery’s 12-Year Anniversary Show. Tiunayan’s contributions to ‘The Scenic Route’ continue the misadventures of his irrepressible signature character and the boy’s trusted canine sidekick. 

Credit Renda for giving ‘The Scenic Route’ its title. “Nature draws the three of us together,” he explains. “We all tell stories we want viewers to stop and look at, and that’s what a scenic route is about — taking the long road to stop and look at things, and experience things.”   

All three artists featured in ‘The Scenic Route’ will be in attendance for Friday, Sept. 5’s opening-night reception, running from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Vertical’s flagship West Town location (2006 W. Chicago Ave. #1R; enter via the alley off Damen Avenue). This December, Vertical will showcase Renda, Catherwood and Tiunayan alongside seven other acclaimed artists at Aqua Art Miami 2025; stay tuned for more details.