New gallery opens its doors in St. Charles

Art enthusiasts from the Fox Valley area have another place to stop.

Bridges, A Gallery of Fine Art, which opened in St. Charles last December, is owned by Rowena Salas of Wayne and Richard Sperry of St. Charles.

Salas, a nurse by trade, has always had a love of the arts, and even spearheaded the renovation of St. Charles' Hotel Baker, which is owned by her husband, Joe.

Salas turned that passion into a profession, after Sperry, an artist with whom she used to work, decided to quit his job to pursue painting full time.

"When he left his other job to paint full time, we talked about opening an art gallery," she said.

For many reasons, St. Charles seemed to be the right location for their new business venture. There is a strong following of the arts in the area, as well as the city's ongoing First Street re-development project.

In addition, Salas has had such a positive experience with Hotel Baker, which will serve as an extension of Bridges, displaying a selection of its works.

"Since we got the hotel, it (St. Charles) just feels like home to us," said Salas, who added that the community has been very supportive of the gallery.

She's looking forward to participating in upcoming events, such as Sisters Weekend, the fine arts show and the Scarecrow Festival.

Various artists from around the world have works displayed on the walls of Bridges, an accomplishment that both partners are thrilled about.

"I have some of my favorites and, to my surprise, they all agreed," Salas said.

Visitors to the gallery may view works by artists such as Dave Garrison, Ron Barsano, Duane Geisness, Ron Johnson, Mark McMahon, Jerry Smith and Leonard Wren.

Various mediums are on display, including, paintings in oils, acrylics, pastels and batik, ceramics and bronze sculptures.

Bridges also offers a local touch to the gallery, with a mural of various St. Charles landmarks painted on the north side of the building.

Painted by Batavia artist Wendy Geismer, the mural features Hotel Baker, city hall, the Fox River, Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, the Blue Goose and, of course, foxes scattered throughout.

Those who are interested may purchase a smaller version of the mural to hang in their home or office.

In addition, Bridges provides professional framing services, in-home and office art consultations and delivery and hanging. They will also allow a customer to take a painting home and make sure it fits in before purchasing it.

According to Sperry, they are also able to get customers a piece of artwork that may not actually be displayed at the gallery.

"If you want a piece, tell me and we'll get the piece," he said.

Bridges is at 305 N. Second St. St. Charles. For details, call (630)377-7726. A full display of pieces in the gallery will be posted online in March at www.bridgesfineart.com.