Adult art students exhibit work at West Chicago’s Gallery 200

Paintings by more than a dozen students of local artist Marge Hall are on exhibit through Sept. 29 at Gallery 200, 200 Main St., West Chicago. The students are participants in Hall’s adult oil painting classes at the DuPage Art League in Wheaton.

Hall, a Winfield resident, is an original member artist of Gallery 200. She is known for her larger-than-life, photorealistic oil paintings of flowers. An extension of her passion for painting is her love of teaching.

“People ask me all the time how to paint flowers,” she said. “But that’s not what I teach. I teach how to paint.”

Her classes include beginners through advanced students and her philosophy is to instruct each student to paint at their own pace and develop their own style. Her classes run the gamut of subject matter and she encourages her students to participate in exhibits regardless of their skill level.

“I want them to get their art on the walls,” she said.

Students participating in the exhibit are primarily from the Monday afternoon class. According to Hall, the students have made remarkable advancements in their skills and she attributes this to the students’ continued commitment to the class.

“Even if they don’t have anything to paint, I think they’d come to the class anyway. We’ve become like family,” Hall said.

Hall’s history with the DuPage Art League began after she enrolled in an abstract art class as a creative outlet when her children were young. She was subsequently asked to teach and has been active there as an instructor since 1970 and is currently chairwoman of the exhibit committee.

Gallery 200 is open noon to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For information, including a complete list of current art classes, contact (630) 293-9550 or gallery200.org.