Show and Tell brings area artists together
Event allows creatives to share work, learn from each other
As the Homer Township Public Library recently hosted a group of artists showcasing a room full of art, one of the most eye catching presentations involved a large, five-panel horizontal sequence of colorful images framed and resting in front of Michael Preski and Gina Rende.
“It was a labor of love,” Preski said.
Preski, of Chicago, and Rende, of Orland Park, started dating in 2016, and she quickly introduced him to the Lemont Artists Guild. Now, they were showcasing what they created together at the guild’s annual Show and Tell at the library earlier this month.
Rende had a stroke in 2002, her activities were limited and adult coloring books quickly became a passion. Preski began creating coloring pages for the two of them. He would ink the images and Rende would color them.
During the pandemic, the family started gathering for weekly dinners at Rende’s mother’s house. Preski said it is a “big Italian family, naturally big Italian dinners.” And as he sat at the table, the idea for this year’s showpiece came to him, offering the different perspectives from each chair — what each person would see.
“Each one represents one member of the family, myself included,” Preski said. “When you line them up together, it tells the story of the Wednesday dinner.”
This was not the first Show and Tell for Preski and Rende. The couple said they love the way the conversation around art flows at the meetings of the Lemont Artists Guild, where creative discussions and the exchange of ideas are encouraged.
“What’s nice is we have diversity,” Preski said. “We have photography, watercolor, oils, acrylics, everything.”
That artistic diversity was on display over the course of the two-hour meeting, which gave everyone a chance to show some of their work, discuss methods, offer each other tips and encouragement, and even explain some of their “failures.”
Betty Burian Kirk, a fiber artist and teacher, led things off by passing around some ornamental works she created. Barbara Kelly explained some of the coloring techniques she used to create a fairy over a lily pad. Cheryl Ferber highlighted the techniques she used to create the unique textures
of her paintings, as well as a painting of her husband standing next to an old pickup truck.
Kathy Birch beamed with pride after someone pointed out they recognized the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, in one of her portraits. While she talked of trial and error in her work, others offered encouragement.
John R. Gildroy discussed some of the debate over pinup works and displayed a photo of a woman wielding a sword.
David Opon noted most of his recent work as a relatively new artist was still too “wet” to bring for Show and Tell, but he said he tries to make it to Lemont Artists Guild meetings because they are always valuable.
“It’s really great to come in and see other people’s work, because you learn so much, even if it’s a different medium,” Opon said.
Jackie Uznanski passed around some sketches she drew, and with a tablet showcased digital art she is trying in addition to what she does by hand. Nancy Uznanski presented drawings she created while imagining how they might be used in a children’s book about pirates. The trick has been getting a cannonball to look like it is coming right at the reader.
“It’s always been a dream,” she said of the book.
Mary Fronczak Grochocinski talked about her efforts to create realistic images from photo references. She also explained how she creates composites of images when she does not like a certain element of one photo, such as the background or the flames of a fire up front.
“I’m not really good at Photoshop, so I take my pictures, I resize them, then I tape them,” Grochocinski said.
Mona Parry showcased an image of a waterfall she created. And Lynn Rozycki shared a quilt, jewelry and some “failures” she planned to redo. She also talked about joining an upcoming art class at the library.
“I thought: I’m terrible at origami; this will be a great opportunity,” Rozycki said. “Well, it was drawing cranes. It was not doing origami. I enjoyed it.”
Guild President Liz Connelly also shared a variety of activities she found to try new things to keep busy and figure out how to brainstorm better.
“Your brain will do everything to distract you from working,” she said. “This made me sit and do it.”
The Guild’s annual Show and Tell has been running for nearly three decades. While members always share their work, the Guild typically features a lecturer or speaker at its meetings. Holding the Show and Tell in January also marks a new year with new ideas, Connelly said.
“This meeting is specifically to show what you do with your art,” she added. “We welcome artists of all kinds. It’s a very kind group. It’s a lot about sharing and just helping.”
The Guild, established in 1992, started in Lemont and still carries the name. But with members coming from all over, the artists moved their meetings to the central Homer Township Public Library location roughly 10 years ago, when the library erected its first addition.
Heather Colby, the library’s adult and teen services manager, said the Guild is a good partner in offering a range of creative and innovative programs, such as comic art, oil painting techniques and forensic art analysis. Attendees do not have to be members of the Guild to attend meetings.
“Lemont Artists Guild is dedicated to sharing both art and information, which is key for any public library,” Colby said. “We love to build partnerships with community organizations, and they are a great fit.”