Chicago murals: Oscar Joyo design is love letter to Lincoln Square

Artist Oscar Joyo has worked on campaigns for big brands like Nike and Doc Martens. But his latest mural pays homage to Lincoln Square, his home.

When he saw a call for submissions, “I was like, you know what, let’s do it. It’s three to five minutes away from where I live,” Joyo says. “When I got accepted I was like, wait, I actually got it? This is crazy.”

The mural, titled LOVE, LANA (LANA LOVE), is about 24 feet wide by 40 feet tall on a mixed use, three-story building at 4879 N. Lincoln Ave. off Western Avenue. It features a woman wearing green headphones and a green shirt and long, black hair flowing down her back. Her eyes are closed as if she's savoring her music. Palm leaves appear to rise up from the ground and surround her, up to her shoulders. Behind her face and hair is a brilliant background in shades of red.

The mural, which Joyo finished in October, was commissioned by the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, 40th Ward Ald. Andres Vasquez and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

LANA stands for the Lincoln Avenue North Arts District, which stretches along Lincoln between North Western and West Catalpa avenues. It was designated in 2019 and includes the Ainslie Arts Plaza in the 4800 block of Lincoln Avenue. What was a parking lot now is a pedestrian plaza with landscaping, lights and another mural full of shapes and colors painted on the plaza ground by Chicago artist Andrea Jablonski. A Makers Market pops up there on summer weekends.

The woman in the Joyo's mural wasn’t modeled after one person specifically. Instead, he says, the inspiration came from his own walks around the neighborhood, listening to music and seeing the growing resident diversity and arts scene.

“I like walking a bunch. The feeling that I get walking and listening to music and saying, let the wind take you wherever you want, is what brought the inspiration,” he says.

Joyo has lived in Lincoln Square for 11 years, and says he appreciates what you can see in the neighborhood today — its Germanic roots, Latino and African restaurants, plus its record store, movie theater and other small shops.

Ian Tobin, vice president and director of community development for Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, calls the mural a “love letter” to the residents of Lincoln Square.

“We’re so excited to introduce this stunning new mural,” Tobin says. “The residents of Lincoln Square revere their community like no other, and this mural is a love letter to them.”

The mural was painted largely with spray paint, Joyo says, with some house paint used to cover the larger areas. Now, he walks by it almost every day.

Painting the LOVE LANA mural “was a mixture of immense pride and it also was appreciation that I got the opportunity to do something for my neighborhood,” Joyo says. “They’ve been really dope to me. It was nice being able to say thanks in mural form.”