Artist hopes to be ambassador for Chicago hot dog stands through nostalgic work

CHICAGO -- In the painting studio at her Logan Square apartment, Chicago artist Julia Hagen reminisced about the numerous hot dog stands she's visited in her quest to paint as many as she's able. She quipped that joy and nostalgia weren't the only things that inspire her colorful works.

"I think the hot dog fuels the painting," Hagen said. "I think it makes the painting better."

Hagen has shipped her original paintings all over the country, and thousands like and comment on her work on social media. Her current project took off when a painting of her neighborhood hot dog stand, Red Hot Ranch, went viral on Reddit.

"I just got this idea: 'Well, what if I painted some other stands?'" Hagen said. "It feels really special to feel a little bit, like a tiny smidge of an ambassador of the Chicago hot dog in any capacity, at least in the art space."

Her father enrolled her in classes at The Art Institute of Chicago as a kid, and she showed promise as an artist. A stint as a pre-med student at Boston College left her unfulfilled, and she returned to the Art Institute as an adult, painting at her parents' home while nannying.

"I just kept following my joy," Hagen said. "Coming back to what brought me joy has always led to something amazing."

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An early influence on Hagen was accomplished artist Lucie Phillips. A family friend who painted with and encouraged her as a child, Phillips gifted Hagen art supplies and a festival tent when she fell ill with cancer.

"When Lucie passed, I was like, I have to keep carrying the torch; I have to keep going," Hagen said.

Hagen started selling her work at festivals, and, after moving to Chicago from the suburbs, she began painting cityscapes of the Windy City. A striking painting titled "All Of The Lights" caught the attention of Instagram users, garnering Hagen thousands of new followers.

"It went really viral," Hagen said. "I got like 10 million views on it and a million likes, and it kind of shot me to a place I wasn't ready for."

Working now as a full-time artist, Hagen said the moral of her story is not giving up on one's inner child. Beyond hot dog stands, paintings of dive bars, bakeries and other sentimental places in Chicago may be her future muses.

"Nostalgia makes my art what it is," Hagen said. "That's really been the trajectory of my career, and I'm really excited to see where it continues to go."

For more information, visit juliahagenartist.com.