Finnerty's last show: Sales slow but he seemed hopeful

Kevin Finnerty spent his last weekend displaying his work at a familiar gallery, Tuscan Market & Wine Shop in Arlington Heights.

Alongside the wine collection and bar, Finnerty displayed original streetscapes, floral scenes and renderings from the wine country in Napa, as well as his newest works, called Giclees, large photos stretched over rag board canvas.

"You'd think after spending three days with someone, you'd have some idea," says owner Amy Philpott, who regularly displays Finnerty's pieces.

"But it was nothing but general excitement about the showing. He gave no inclination about anything."

Finnerty sold some pieces on Sunday, nothing major. But he seemed pleased, she said, in the number of people who viewed his work and took his cards.

On Saturday, the entire Finnerty family paused for lunch in the shop. While Trish Finnerty and her two older children ate sandwiches at one table, Kevin Finnerty sat in an adjoining area surrounded by his art, with 6-year old Pierce on his lap, eating pizza.

"It was just like a Norman Rockwell scene," Philpott says. "He was always the doting dad."

On Monday, Finnerty returned to pack up his unsold works, but left in time to pick up his children from school.

It was only 12 hours or so before, according to police, he would set the fire that killed himself, his wife and his 11-year-old son.

In recent weeks, Finnerty dealt with at least one major disappointment; he learned he had been eliminated from consideration to have some work exhibited in the new Northwest Community Hospital Patient Care Pavilion.

Discouraged, he called one of the agents who represents him, Denise Rippinger of Corporate Artworks in Arlington Heights.

"He knew we were one of two (consultant) companies still in the running, and he asked us if we would represent some of his work," Rippinger says.

She agreed, but encouraged him to add more local pieces to his portfolio, including photos of area sites, such as Busse Woods.

On Monday, she returned to her office and found pieces he had delivered, including close-up photographs of wildflowers from the local forest preserve.

She was pleasantly surprised he had heeded her advice.

Finnerty was a frequent visitor to her office, to ask if things had sold.

"We've represented Kevin for 10 years and he was very outgoing and a good guy," Rippinger said. "He was a proactive artist, who promoted himself as much as we did."

But he had similarly disappointing results after a monthlong showing in February at the Grand Frame & Gallery in Arlington Heights.

Owner Gary Grana said the highlight of the show was an artist reception that drew a particularly large crowd, though not a lot of sales.

"We've had better shows with him, but it was good exposure," Grana says. "I think he was hoping to do better. But I always find we sell more after the shows."

In recent weeks, Finnerty had met with members of the Arlington Art Guild board promoting the new Giclee printmaking process. He gave the general membership a demonstration two months ago.

Finnerty had purchased the high quality printer needed to produce the prints, and he hoped to convince other artists to rent his equipment, officials said.

Despite a close working relationship with the artists on the board of the Guild, and being a frequent contributor to their summer art fairs, Finnerty never joined the organization.

"I was always after him to join," says officer Brian Halpin of Prospect Heights, "but he never would. I think he suspected I wanted him to assume some leadership responsibilities, and he didn't want that."

Instead, Finnerty seemed to prefer working on his own, in his home studio and on location - on a rooftop across from Wrigley Field or on the shore of Lake Michigan looking back at the skyline.

Finnerty's sale at Tuscan Market was the same weekend as the Promenade of Art, which drew thousands to downtown Arlington Heights. However, rather than pay for a booth and risk not being juried into the larger show, Finnerty held his own exhibit at the wine shop.

He may have missed out. Promenade proved to be a strong show.

"Our artists reported great sales, in fact some had record sales," said Promenade show producer Amy Amdur.

In biographical sketches that Finnerty submitted to local art shows, he pointed up travels through Europe after earning his fine arts degree in 1986 from NIU.

He credited painting on location at destinations as the coastal shores of Galway, Ireland and the ancient ruins of Athens, with helping to sharpen his creative imagery.