Look what these women create with a little paint
Whether a queen or the mother of two young boys, passionate artists enjoy a compulsion to express themselves through their media.
You can see it in the precision of the bright graphics on furniture by Peterine Svoboda, also known as the Queen of Hearts, and the warm emotion of the women painted by Mystele Kirkeeng.
The two are among the artists showing and selling their work at the Country Folk Art Festival, March 20-22, in St. Charles.
Kirkeeng's studio is a bedroom in the Crystal Lake home she shares with her husband, Ron, who is a youth pastor at the Evangelical Free Church; and their sons, Logan, 7; and Isaiah, 5.
Music has always been Kirkeeng's art, and she has only been painting a year. So far her pictures are mostly women - and African-American women at that. This might not be a surprise for someone expressing herself while living in a household where she's the only female and in a mostly white community.
"Women are what I know. That's what I am, and having just sons, it's my outlet to be girlie. I paint people, and I can paint white people, but this is more representative of my experience."
A fan of texture, Kirkeeng paints mostly with acrylics but also uses watercolor, oil and pastels, adding fabric, paper, lace and masking tape. A favorite technique is to put paint on the canvas or board, let it dry and come back to see what image is emerging.
She divides her people into three styles from "whimsical" to the slightly more realistic "folksical" and finally "realistic, but not fine-art realistic."
And much of it resembles illustrations in children's books.
"I'm learning and playing and having fun," said Kirkeeng.
Being accepted at the Country Folk Art Festival helps Kirkeeng develop her vision of herself as an artist.
"I feel like an artist and not a mom who's playing at being an artist," she said. Her prices are $45 to $200 and up, and she does custom work. She can be reached at mystelebizness.blogspot.com.
Svoboda, the queen, has spent three years in her own castle - the Queen of Hearts Studio in Wheaton.
"One time that parents buy furniture for girls is when they become a diva, 12 or 13 years old," she said. "I think they could keep many of those pieces for their first townhouse and use them between the kitchen and family room and eventually give them to their own daughters."
When the former banker started painting furniture, people mentioned the colors Svoboda chose were perfect for children's décors, so she started specializing in furniture for youngsters.
While she's happy to do themes like airplanes that will appeal to boys, clients often go for the diamonds, hearts, stripes and checks in pinks and purples for little girls.
The furniture can be vintage, brand new or something the client already owns.
Very popular items are round tables that start at $300 with child-sized chairs for $100 and up, $300 rocking chairs and $65 foot stools.
A tip from the queen: If you want a piece for a bedroom, find the bedding first because it will be easy to match paint to your colors.
And she points out that her geometrics work better with your favorite print fabrics than floral patterns would.
Another tip: Use the wildest patterns on smaller pieces. For example, swirls can be dramatic on a bedside table, but then you can be more conservative in matching or coordinating colors on a large chest of drawers.
A little vintage maple cabinet is priced at $500, but it's a well-made piece, and the heavily curliqued painting took 40 hours. Even the insides of the tiny feet are striped.
Svoboda prices everything according to the time it requires. That means clients looking for a lower price can choose a less complicated design.
"Everything I do is one of a kind," she said.
What: Country Folk Art Festival
When: 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 20; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22.
Where: Kane County Fairgrounds Convention Center, Randall Road between North Avenue (Route 64) and Roosevelt Road (Route 38), St. Charles.
Tickets: $8 for three-day admission; free for children under 15.
Information: Folkartfest.com or (630) 858-1568.
Etc: Scavenger hunt for children 7-12 at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21, and 1 p.m. Sunday, March 22. Must register and be accompanied by a parent. Demonstrations by artists also scheduled.