Fine Line’s ‘Animalia’ exhibit showcases vibrant animal artworks

Posted November 12, 2025 8:11 pm

Submitted by Fine Line

“Portrait of a Chimpanzee” by Elizabeth Wilson, a Mount Prospect artist working in colored pencil. She is one of 69 artists from 25 states featured in the “Animalia” show at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles. Courtesy of Elizabeth Wilson

If you have even a passing interest in animals, you will love Fine Line Creative Arts Center’s current gallery show. “Animalia” features art by 69 artists from 25 states, each piece depicting an animal — some real, some mythical.

With so many artists in the show, it is not possible to mention them all, so here is just a sample of the artists and the great work on display.

Elizabeth Wilson, from Mount Prospect, is an artist working in colored pencil. Wilson explores the facial expressions of various wildlife, creating images with vibrant, exaggerated hues, as seen in her piece “Portrait of a Chimpanzee.”

Building up scribbly layers of high chroma pigment with increasing refinement and realistic values, aiming to depict representational forms reminiscent of formal human portraiture juxtaposed against expressive, complex color.

Lori Miller, an artist from Iowa, uses fabric in a mosaic format to create artwork like “Shirley’s Horse." Courtesy of Lori Miller

One of the out-of-state artists is Lori Miller from Iowa. Miller works as a multimedia artist and specializes in fiber collage. Her contemporary art honors the tradition of the mosaic format, using fabric as its medium. Miller’s piece, called “Shirley’s Horse,” is created using numerous cut pieces of fabric.

Ron Woodward’s artwork, “Peek-a-Boo,” combines fine painting and detailed woodcarving. Courtesy of Dennis Bennett

Another out-of-state artist is Ron Woodward from Colorado, who uses fine painting along with very detailed woodcarving to create high and low relief, 3-dimensional paintings and mixed media artworks. Woodward’s piece, “Peek-a-Boo,” depicts a frog peering at the viewer from around a tree.

Another artist working in wood is Lori Szkodzinski from Romeoville, IL. Szkodzinski is a wood-burning artist inspired by the complexity of the natural world. Her art celebrates the ephemeral beauty of nature, focusing on the connectivity between all things.

Romeoville artist Lori Szkodzinski uses a wood-burning tool on basswood to create pieces such as “Whispering Woods.” Courtesy of Lori Szkodzinski

Wood burning (pyrography) is a unique process that allows Szkodzinski to create shade and depth by adjusting the temperature of her wood burning tool. Working primarily with basswood, Szkodzinski creates depth and contrast through a range of textures and techniques. Her piece, “Whispering Woods,” depicts the beauty of a wolf in a moonlit forest, with trees, flowers, and mushrooms.

Nancy Greenleaf from Pennsylvania has two pieces in the show. Her first piece, “Creekbed Teapot: Snaked,” is a hand-sculpted stoneware teapot featuring a snake handle and a salamander lid.

The piece is in dark, rich shades of greys and blacks with leaf embellishments on the belly of the teapot. Her other piece, called “Henry,” is a sculpture of an alligator head in green and yellow tones.

“Creekbed Teapot: Snaked” is a hand-sculpted stoneware teapot by Nancy Greenleaf, an artist from Pennsylvania. Courtesy of Nancy Greenleaf

“Animalia” will be on display until Thursday, Nov. 20, in the Kavanagh Gallery at Fine Line Creative Art Center, 37W570 Bolcum Road in St. Charles.

The gallery is open to the public Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no fee to view the art in the Kavanagh Gallery. For information, visit fineline.org or call (630) 584-9443.