Art exhibition creates a buzz in Oak Brook

Gilles Peltier follows the money.

As an artist with a unique method of carving and painting acrylic, he says he makes supplemental income by traveling to shows that he knows have been lucrative in the past.

Peltier made the 1,500-mile trip from his home in Naples, Florida to Oak Brook, where Oakbrook Center hosted its 48th Annual Invitational Fine Art Exhibition this weekend.

"It's our livelihood," he said Sunday alongside his wife, Huguette. "You have to go where the money is. We don't go to shows we know are no good."

Around 110 artists attended the two-day juried show, which featured painters and sculptors in various media, including Peltier's reverse carving. Peltier, 64, carves into clear slabs of acrylic and then paints the scenes from behind. The work creates a painting-like quality on the reverse side of the clear slabs.

He has been at it for nearly 30 years and said 10 of those years were spent researching his methods.

In Florida, Peltier said it's nearly impossible to find art shows during the summer because of the sweltering heat. Instead, he travels. In early November, he will make another 1,000-mile-plus trip to eastern Maryland.

He said his success has to do with the uniqueness of his art.

"You have to have something special," he said of still attracting business in a less-than-ideal economic climate.

Oakbrook Center spokeswoman Suzanne Beres said having artists from across the country increases the notoriety of the region and the show, despite its beginnings as a more local showcase.

"(Local artists) go to other shows and speak highly of this show," she said. "It takes it to another level and makes it more respectable countrywide and it gives a feeling of pride to the Chicago market. It's rewarding for everybody."

The show invites successful artists back year after year, while also inviting new artists to apply. An elimination process keeps the new artists to a minimum from year to year, Beres said.

For Donna Weiss, the travel from Granville, Tennessee is made easier because she originally hails form the area and knows she will see some measure of success each year in Oak Brook.

Her fire-painted clay pottery usually creates a buzz, said Weiss, 67.

"It's a crushing blow when people ignore you," she said, "but my work cannot be ignored, whether you like it or hate it."