Hello, I'm Issis Macias.

Issis Macias is a self-taught abstract painter, emerging curator, and daughter of Mexican immigrants whose work explores the emotional spectrum of human experience through vibrant, intuitive abstraction. Born in Los Angeles, California, and based in Madison, Wisconsin, her practice is rooted in intuition, color, memory, and matrilineal resilience. Macias turned to painting during a transformative period of motherhood and career transition amid the pandemic. Working primarily with acrylic and oil pastel, she draws upon memory, intuition, and shared emotion to create vibrant, layered compositions that invite viewers into a sanctuary of introspection and emotional connection. She was named the 2025 Latina Artist of the Year and received the 2024 Micaela Salinas Artist Fellowship through Latinos Organizing for Understanding and Development. Macias was also a 2023–2025 Bridge Work artist at Arts + Literature Laboratory and a 2023 Forward Art Prize finalist through the Women Artists Forward Fund. Her work includes public art commissions for the Madison Public Market and LunART Festival and is held in the collections of UW Health, as well as private collections throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Beyond her studio practice, Macias is passionate about using art as a tool for connection through teaching, bilingual artist talks, curatorial work, and collaborative projects. She is committed to creating opportunities that support Latine, BIPOC, and other underrepresented artists while fostering meaningful dialogue and community across Wisconsin.