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with me and a box of stuff, and it ended up something that I wanted to hang on my wall." She compares the ex- perience of producing art to that of giving birth. "Two people go into a room and three people come out. You're really producing something from scratch." Growing up in Brooklyn, Straus spent Kme in Manhat- tan going to museums and relishing the world of art. In- spired and driven to create, she managed to get a high school scholarship to the Cooper Union High School and her work kicked into high gear. This was followed by an Associates degree at the Fashion InsKtute of Technology, a Bachelor's degree at Queen's College, and a Masters from Brooklyn College. While she already had a successful career, being home changed everything. "I wanted to experiment. My kids were really into watching things online and I thought 'They feel less cut off, why don't I look at that?' I went on- line and I started to see people who were interesKng and I found a few and I started to dissect how I felt and how I was emoKonally reacKng to what I saw," she explains. "In one of them, the woman had her hair natural but in a roundish shape, low and round. I painted that but I wanted it to look sparkly, because what she was saying was about a revelaKon in her life. She had realized she Pictured right: A Teacher Addressing Climate Change. Straus develops portraits in the time of social media. "I am chasing the pleasure of seeing a person speak." Contour drawing is expressive. Perspective is exaggerated. Many layers of oil pastel and acrylics create texture. 34 HOOK

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