Exhibit at Wellness Center features Lake in the Hills artist

The Wellness Center of Northwest Community Hospital is featuring the work of Lake in the Hills artist Roger W. Gates through Saturday, Oct. 6, emphasizing "thoughtful realism and composition, balance, and color." The Center is located at 900 W. Central Road, Arlington Heights.

The solo exhibit, co-sponsored by the Northwest Cultural Council, "will appeal to all, regardless of their art background, because of the peacefulness and restfulness of Gates' scenes," says Kathy Umlauf, NWCC executive director.

Gates, whose paintings include scenes of Point Betsie in Michigan, Carmel Mission in California, and sites in other U.S. regions, says, "I make sketches in 'plein air' and take several photos of my subjects to capture the angle of light and to help me remember what some might describe as the 'so much more' than a photo might capture."

Following up in his studio, Gates then strives to bring the viewer right into the painting. "I'd like others to feel the tranquillity the subject brought to me, be it the warmth of sunshine or the majesty of the scene, in general," Gates says.

"If the observer feels the calm I feel in my subjects, I have succeeded," the painter adds. He says his art is an avocation that he mostly taught himself to do.

The Northwest Cultural Council serving the Northwest corridor, is a nonprofit organization. It supports and promotes the work of area visual artists and poets, offering a variety of programs including corporate gallery exhibitions, co-sponsored by businesses, convention and visitors' bureaus, libraries, and hospitals; art competitions to stimulate and promote artists; and poetry workshops and readings.

For more information about NWCC exhibits, call (847) 382-6922.