Sid Ylagan Finds Joy In Illustrating the Small Details You Might Miss

Photo Courtesy of Sid Ylagan

Milwaukee artist Sid Ylagan has been craving an opportunity to get outside her comfort zone. Make no mistake, the talented illustrator, painter, and designer loves spending time in front of a canvas or a computer screen. In fact, there’s nothing she would rather do than craft awe-inspiring apparel and picture-perfect portraits. But sometimes it’s nice to try something new.

“I’ve been craving an opportunity to step away from my computer,” the artist says. “And I've always been so inspired by large scale work, especially work that's so public and purposeful.”

For Sid Ylagan, Bayshore arrived right on time. The Bayshore project is Ylagan’s first time creating murals, and she had to work hard to translate her skills into mural-making. “My personal illustration work can sometimes be very detailed and painterly, so adapting my natural art style to work on such a large scale has definitely been a priority,” she says.

Photo By Samuel Li

The Bayshore brass knew she was up to the task. Artist Emma Daisy and her fellow curators are big fans of Ylagan’s portraiture work, and they knew the multi-talented artist would bring a distinctive storytelling style to the shopping complex and its myriad walls of art. Ylagan says she covets the opportunity to highlight the “little moments” we might miss, and that’s why her Bayshore murals are teeming with activity.

“I tried to capture figures in motion,” she says, “figures that are traveling through spaces, whether that means climbing up window ledges or strolling along the side of a parking garage at 45 feet off the ground. I think that imagery featuring dynamic characters like shoppers, commuters and people just living life can really embody the nature of Bayshore.”

And even though creating apparel is quite different from painting a mural, Ylagan found one key similarity between the two crafts. “I like to find joy, then create joy for anyone who sees my work,” she says. “My hope is that these murals do that, and bring some playful beauty into people’s lives.”

To follow more of the Bayshore art project visit the website or follow the Bayshore Instagram account. To follow more of Sid Ylagan and her work visit her website or follow her on Instagram.