Art league's popular 'Fabulous Fakes' exhibit opens soon

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Naperville Art League has taken that to heart as it prepares to unveil its "Fabulous Fakes" exhibit to the public for the fourth year in a row. In the show, which starts Wednesday, Feb. 10, art league members copy the work of well-known artists but add their own twists.

Deborah Venezia, executive director of the Naperville Art League, said the exhibit is popular with both the contributing artists and the public.

"It's always fun," she said. "We get such a nice variety of work and clever twists. Some work is humorous. Some is serious. It's a nice mix."

For this year's event, art league member Cheryl Schmidt of Lisle has painted Monet's "Champ de Tulipes, Hollande" ("A Field of Tulips in Holland") but substituted wind turbines for the windmill in Monet's original work.

Schmidt, an artist who describes her own style as eclectic, said she chose to copy Monet's piece because it lent itself to painting a modernized version.

"I really like the colors and styles of the impressionists," she said. "That was one I could really put a good spin on."

Last year, Schmidt got a merit award for her rendering of van Gogh's "Bedroom at Arle." She put a laptop computer on the stand that held a pitcher and bowl in van Gogh's original.

Copying the work of a famous artist is a learning experience, Schmidt said. She found that van Gogh apparently painted on a grid, the same as she does.

"I never would have suspected van Gogh to be an artist to use that technique," she said. "You sort of go through the same experience."

Schmidt said she also enjoys seeing the works other members of the art league bring to the show.

"It's really fun to see the different styles and artists chosen. It's fun, the different takes people take on a famous painting," she said.

Unlike many artists who contribute to the show, Madeline Rowe of Naperville doesn't copy a single masterpiece for the exhibit. This year, she has created what she calls an installation of 20th century abstract impressionist artist Willem de Kooning. In her piece titled "Dining with de Kooning," she has painted a woman in de Kooning's colorful abstract style. Below the picture is a table covered with a tablecloth and holding items such as a wine bottle and goblet, all painted in an abstract style.

"The table sits right in front of the painting as though the woman is sitting and eating at the table," Rowe said.

Last year, Rowe took "Best of Show" for a piece she called "Rowe on Miro." The work included a papier-mâché piece on a Masonite board with abstract works in the background.

Rowe said she is an abstract artist herself.

"I'm choosing something similar to my technique, but a little different," she said.

The "Fabulous Fakes" exhibit contains a greater variety of mediums than the art league's typical monthly shows and pieces that viewers will recognize, Rowe said.

"This show offers a little bit more," she said.

Venezia said the show is popular even with people who might not normally visit art exhibits.

"People who are not that involved in art would enjoy seeing the work," she said.

The exhibit continues through Feb. 21, when a closing reception runs 1 to 4 p.m. at the Naperville Fine Art Center and Gallery, 508 N. Center St.

If you goWhat: "Fabulous Fakes" exhibitWhen: Feb. 10-21; closing reception 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 21Hours: Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SaturdayWhere: Naperville Fine Art Center Gallery, 508 N. Center St., NapervilleCost: FreeInfo: (630) 355-2530False20001225Lisle artist Cheryl Schmidt holds Monet's "Champ de Tulipes, Hollande," right, with a windmill in the background. In the version she painted for the "Fabulous Fakes" exhibit, left, she has substituted wind turbines for the windmill.Tanit Jarusan | Staff PhotographerFalse