Kevin Finnerty well known as artist
Just last week, Kevin Finnerty brought in some of his latest watercolors and photos to Corporate ArtWorks in Arlington Heights.
The company is bidding to install their artists' works in the new eight-story Patient Care Pavilion at Northwest Community Hospital, of which the first floor emergency room is expected to open later this fall.
"Kevin wanted to be a part of the new building," says Denise Rippinger, of Corporate ArtWorks, who represented him at health care facilities.
Tuesday afternoon, however, the local watercolorist of some renown was in extremely critical condition in the Loyola Medical Center burn unit, after having been transferred there from Northwest Community.
Back in 2001, Finnerty won "Best of Show" honors for his series of Chicago cityscapes, at a small Arlington Heights art fair held in the central business district.
At the time, it was Finnerty's first "Best of Show" award in an Arlington Heights venue. The top prize won him a commission from the Arlington Heights Park District Foundation to capture North School Park in pastels. The foundation sold limited edition prints from that painting and used the money to enhance neighborhood parks in the village.
"It was a very successful fundraiser," says Kathie Hahn, former marketing director for the foundation, now with the Park Ridge Park District. "People love that park, and he did a tremendous rendering of it."
Less than a dozen copies remain from the original printing, and are hanging in local park buildings and galleries, such as the Grand Frame & Gallery in Arlington Heights.
Watercolor enthusiasts have seen Finnerty's work exhibited in subsequent years at the "A Walk in the Park" art fairs sponsored by the Arlington Heights Art Guild.
Finnerty, 46, paints in a home studio, which has allowed him to spend more time with his children, said Dan Bondi of Prints Unlimited Galleries in Chicago. Bondi, who has known Finnerty for 10 years, said his use of bright pastels illustrates an upbeat personality.
"I sensed he loved painting and he loved the art world," Bondi said.
Just last summer, Finnerty was among several artists who painted on location at the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, in a Plein Air event. His work also can be found in the Arlington Artists on Display, mounted in the museum's Heritage Gallery.
In November, he submitted one of his floral images for the local display, called "Japanese Footbridge."
Last year, Finnerty was selected by the Seattle Food and Wine Committee to create the artwork for its October 2008 convention in Seattle. The project took him to Napa Valley in California to paint several scenes.
Beyond Arlington Heights, Finnerty's work can be found in private and corporate collections in the U.S. and Europe, including the University of Chicago, the Hilton Chicago and Towers Hotel, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Museum Park Condominiums, the William Wrigley Jr. Co., and Northwestern Memorial's Prentice Women's Hospital.
• Staff writer Ashok Selvam contributed to this report.
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