Louis DeMarco (b. 1985) is an artist, musician, designer and writer with particular interest in creating personal mythologies and motivational hyperbole in order to examine his experiences. His extensive mapping and architectural designs for “Loudemar,” a mythological island and home to his mind’s fortress, express a deep desire for belonging, safety, and simply having things one’s way. A natural comedian, DeMarco infuses humor into serious topics such as disappointment, anxiety, paranoia and relationship negotiations through his series of “Words to Live By” signs, executed in a brilliantly colored Simpsons-esque palatte. Originally a riff off of Tom Hanks’ character’s terminal illness (a “brain cloud”) in the comedy classic Joe Versus the Volcano – charting and mapping continue in DeMarco’s popular Cloud Chart series, which catalog “bad states”, followed later by a series of antidotes (“positive states”) in the Halo Chart series. Recently Louis has been painting anatomical illustrations personalized to contain what is important to him, and as a way to filter out the negative sounds, images, and ideas. Specifically titled My Heart, My Brain, My Eye, and My Ear.
DeMarco is also an accomplished bass player for the rock band Lightning Speed, which also includes Project Onward artist Adam Hines. DeMarco writes original lyrics and music and is developing several screenplays for musicals and comedies, which are parodies of old sitcoms, i.e. Toaster’s (Cheers and Friends). He joined Project Onward in 2005 and currently lives in West Town, Chicago.
