OUR MEETINGS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

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We meet monthly at the Wheeling Township Community Services Center. 

Address and map can be found at the bottom of the page.

Nancie King Mertz, Pastel

Nancie King Mertz is an award-winning artist who paints in oil and pastel.  She has a BFA in painting from the U of I and an MA in painting from Eastern Illinois University.  Nancie has been awarded the Master Circle Medallion by the International Association Societies in 2015, their Eminent Pastelist Distinction in 2018 and is a Master Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and the Chicago Pastel Painters.

Nancie teaches across the US and internationally and has twice been named “Artist of the Year."  Her work has made it to the cover of Pastel Journal.

Steve Puttrich, Oil

(Edited) The following text refers to a photo not shown here but represents the artist's feelings about painting. 

This photo captures what I call a Norman Rockwell moment. It’s me practicing my passion for en Plein air painting. This particular day, my wife Bobbie, a close friend of ours Valerie, and I were on location near a Schaumburg Church and schoolyard one warm spring afternoon. In mid painting, the recess bell rang and dozens of curious children quickly swarmed our easels. As children often do, they started asking questions, great questions in fact. “What are you doing?” “Can I do that?” “How long did that take you?” But the best question by far, and to this day I struggle with answering is, “Why do you paint?” WOW! You could have knocked me over with a feather. My answer, at the moment, was something like… “To understand the light” or “to see better”. Bobbie, whose easel was set up just a few yards away, captured the moment. Oh for that curiosity and wonderment of a child, may we always have it with us, never take it for granted.
I’m also reminded of what The Coach, John Wooden said, “The person who know ‘how’ will always have a job. The person who knows ‘why’ will be his boss.” In art as in life, it’s best to know both.

The ‘how’ is easy. ‘Why’ so much harder? So, what’s my ‘why’? Why art? Why now?

Art for me is a way of connecting shapes to tell a story. My ‘why’, is to capture and connect to the moment; connecting people in shared experiences to this place and this time. Creating, connecting and experiencing life in all its fullest, and to a small degree, to giving back in a form of worship, gratitude for all. All the while, leaving something of beauty behind that could last for centuries. These are just a few of my ‘Whys’.

After spending 35 years as an artist, designer, architectural illustrator and vice president of marketing for a world-wide engineering firm, I'm now creating a life being a husband to my artist/wife Bobbie Puttrich and full-time artist and instructor. My passion for teaching is second only to my love of painting.

Dorothy Mason, watercolor

I paint to bring serenity into my life, and my paintings bring calm and serenity to the world.

The Arts have always been part of my life

I was raised in the Chicago suburbs in a family of highly intelligent people. My mother was a math major who worked as a computer (yes, just like the movie). My father, a PhD in Chemistry, worked as a nuclear scientist. But his true love was classical music. When I was 10, he began to devote most of his time to music. He made oboes and bassoon reeds (on a card table in our house) and played in an orchestra.

Since I attended concerts, operas, and ballets to hear him play, an appreciation of the arts has always been part of my life. I’ve also always had an interest in other cultures, a curiosity satisfied by reading fiction about various cultures and eating and cooking foods from around the world.

The slow food movement fascinates me. Lately I’ve been trying various recipes of rye bread made from my homemade rye sourdough culture.

Professional Background

I studied at Illinois State U. and furthered my art studies at The Art Institute of Chicago. Working as a graphic designer, I’ve continued to paint and draw throughout my life. I sketch scenes in nature using pencils and graphite sticks, then translate that in watercolor and oil….sometimes together….back in my studio.

I am drawn to color relationships and love the color as it moves about the paper, particularly very saturated pigments and their contrast with light soft colors. My paintings contain quite a bit of color, yet they create a calm, serene feeling. 

Phil Schorn, color pencil

I am a color pencil artist that paints with the pencil.  My botanical renderings are not drawings of plant specimens as seen in scientific books, rather, they are renderings of plants as seen through the eye of an artist.  I can look at the ground.  I can see the shapes, light and shadows.  I do not draw the entire location.

I focus on a small portion of the scene and what makes that interesting. Whether that be the individual leaf, flower, or snapshot of the ground, I bring the details to life.

In my drawings, I focus on achieving realism and try to put in as much detail as possible. I want the viewer to look and then get lost in the scene as if they were standing in it.

I have found that life truly is, in the details 

Kathleen Newman, pastel

After studying at the American Academy of Art, Kathleen Newman began an illustration and design business, Queen of Arts Studios, Inc. After the arrival of her children, she began painting full time. She now teaches both in her native Chicago area and across the United States and the world.

Words from the artist (edited):

While working as an art director at an ad agency in Chicago, I decided to return to Chicago’s American Academy of Art to develop an illustration portfolio geared towards making a living as a storyboard artist, layout renderer and logo designer.  I became “Queen of Arts Studio” and was thrilled to be making a living through my marker and watercolor skills and thoroughly enjoyed working as a team member developing art presentations and illustrations for a variety of clients.   Running my own business taught me many important skills in time management, professional accountability and the importance of developing a “big idea” for each piece of work.  I found that rather than waiting for inspiration to appear, the very act of pencil on paper begins the process to inspiration.

I love beginning paintings and still like to scribble and loosely develop ideas as I work in a sketchbook.  Art is work, as renowned designer Milton Glaser professes and I totally agree with his assessment.  

Enid Silverman

Well known and accomplished local artist, Enid will do an abbreviated demo in oil as well as offer critiques of members' work.  Enid's classes are always sought after.  Members, bring  your work for an expert's opinion of what to do next.