Tinley Park native Erin O’Connor is featured in latest Vogt exhibit
Erin O’Connor has spent her life in the Tinley Park area — and most of it creating art.
In August, the community will get a chance to see her work in person when she’s the focus of the Vogt Visual Arts Center’s latest exhibition, which runs through most of the month. While she has displayed pieces in previous shows, this will be the first one dedicated to her work alone.
“It’s incredibly exciting to be able to show my work like this,” O’Connor
said. “There aren’t a lot of options for an artist to have a show like this, and to do it in Tinley Park like this is an honor.”
O’Connor, who has worked in a variety of mediums in her career, has focused most recently on acrylic paint on canvas, with some additional uses of paper and other materials to add texture to some pieces. She plans to include about 40 pieces in the exhibit.
“I guess you could call me a mixed-media artist, but I don’t know if that means a whole lot,” she said. “I’ve done pottery and oil painting and other mediums, and I see it all as a way of expressing yourself. I’ve been painting my whole life, and that’s what tends to interest me the most.”
This exhibit will focus on her acrylic paintings, which have occupied her lately.
“I just really enjoy the spectrum of colors with acrylics and how you can build them up,” she said. “It’s just a lot of fun. I highly encourage everyone to give it a go.”
Julie Dekker, the former gallery director of the Vogt Visual Arts Center who organized the show earlier this year, thought that O’Connor’s work was distinctive enough to deserve her own show.
“We love to highlight local artists,” Dekker said. “And Erin’s work is just beautiful. It’s colorful and interesting, and I’m glad we could give her the focus of a full exhibition.”
“I was very lucky that Julie encouraged me to do this show, and I’m glad she did,” O’Connor said. “Throughout my life, I’ve been fortunate to have people who encouraged my art, and I hope it encourages others to work on their own.
“I think everyone is able to create art, whether it’s writing or painting or whatever inspires them,” she said. “It’s brought me so much joy, and I think it can do the same for so many other people.”
The exhibit kicks off with a reception for the artist from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 5, which will include an outdoor performance by The Simple Remedy, a music group that combines “a Nashville sound mixed with Motown soul.” The event is part of Tinley Park’s free monthly concerts at the gazebo.
But for O’Connor, it’s the opening act that excites her.
“My son, who’s in college right now, is going to perform some acoustic music before the band,” she said. “It’s great that I get to have him share this night with me.”