Stepping into the Steeplechase Fine Art Studio in West Dundee during an open house is more like stepping into a 19th Century art salon than visiting a contemporary art gallery.
“When I lived in Florida, it was common for artists to open their studios (to the public) once a month,” said Jeanine Hill Soldner of Algonquin. Steeplechase’s open house is “a lot like a salon, where artists would have their paint, brushes and art.”
Hill Soldner is one of four west suburban artists who have found refuge in a century-old church that has been renovated into offices and a studio, where they can create art and share it with the community one Sunday a month.
“I don’t know of any other studios in the area that have this type of arrangement,” Hill Soldner said. Most artists who hold open houses have put away the supplies and artfully displayed their work; they’re not actually at work when visitors are around.
“We all wanted to find a way to bring the public into the studio, so it was a group decision to schedule a monthly open house,” she said. Instead of being open all the time, “we could preserve our private (painting) time.”
The artists met when each had rented studios last summer in an old Algonquin warehouse so they could paint in peace and quiet, share ideas and develop their creativity.
“It’s not like painting at home and having the clothes dryer running and other distractions,” said artist Joan Hasselman of Crystal Lake. Being able to work in a studio gives them a chance to reflect as they create.
After Hasselman and her colleagues left the dilapidated warehouse, they founded Steeplechase Fine Art Studio in October and moved into the former 1st Methodist Church, built in 1882. A large, Gothic-style window illuminates the 900-square-foot studio located on the second floor. Oil paintings, watercolors, drawings and mixed-media art in various stages of completion fill the studio.
“The four of us wanted to find a (good) space. It looked kind of small after the warehouse, but we fell in love with it,” said Jan Schmuckal of Bloomingdale. “With its high ceilings and bright light, it’s a very conducive environment to creating art.”
Before they moved in their easels and paint boxes, Schmuckal, Hasselman, Hill Soldner and Cheryl Giznik of Chicago painted the studio walls, removed carpeting and linoleum and had the wood floor refinished.
“The interaction among the four of us is important,” Schmuckal said. “Many people think of creating art as a solitary pursuit. If you have this interaction, it’s much like working in an office instead of out of your home.”
“I paint there when I can,” Giznik said. “I can leave the rest of my life (behind).”
Hasselman said art was not a major part of her life until 1984. “I always enjoyed viewing art and being creative, but I never thought seriously about doing it,” she said. She began attending art classes in 1990; she has bachelor’s in general studies from Washington State University and an associate degree in fine arts from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. She also has taken classes in the graduate program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her works are exhibited in the Old Courthouse Gallery in Woodstock. Since 1995, she has taught watercolor at Kaleidoscope School of Art in Barrington.
Schmuckal has a degree in industrial design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and for 10 years she designed store furniture and fixtures for Dart Displays Inc. in Rolling Meadows. She began pursuing a part-time career as a fine artist in 1991 and last year decided to try it full time. She has exhibited at numerous local, regional and national juried shows. She is primarily a representational oil painter but works in other media, including pastel, watercolor, silk painting and sculpture.
Giznik will complete a master’s degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1999. She works in oils and paints human figures and does collage. In 1996, Giznik and five other women artists began the Festival of Arts, a day of theater, music and fine art held each September in Lake Zurich.
Hill Soldner holds a master’s degree in art education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her career goal was to work as a visual artist and to teach art, which she has done for more than 10 years. She has participated in numerous local shows and in 1995 won Best of Show at Art in the Park, part of the Founders Days Festival in Algonquin. She works in many media, including watercolor, color pencil, oils, acrylics and collage. She conducts Meet the Masters, a program for elementary school children at St. Margaret March School in Algonquin. She is the founder and past president of the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Arts League.
While they’re working, the artists often exchange ideas and critique one another’s work. The studio setup, which is an open environment, allows for that kind of interaction.
“We’re all searching for our place in the arts,” Giznik said. “You don’t often get the support of other artists. And artists need to meet just to talk about their work.”
“It’s been really positive,” Hasselman said. “It’s nice having someone there who knows what you’re trying to accomplish and how you can improve. It’s nice having that instant critique.”
“We must have a work space separate from our house,” Hill Soldner said. “To do that (without spending a fortune), you have to work cooperatively with other artists. It’s cost efficient to share space.”
During the studio’s open house, the second Sunday of each month, visitors can view the 70 or more pieces on exhibit and watch the artists in action. At a recent event, more than 60 visitors attended.
The June open house was well received by community members. “They were excited about what we were doing with the building,” Hill Soldner said. “They asked about the inspiration for the work we do and what types of media we use.”
“I think it is very educational for people to see how artists work,” she said. “A lot of people think magic is involved, but it’s really hard work. The magic only happens after you’ve worked real hard at it.”
Carol Balabanow of Bloomingdale attended the studio’s open house on New Year’s Eve. “I was struck by the way the artists shared their space. Their works are intermingled on the walls, and there’s a synergism there that seems to enhance their creativity,” Balabanow said.
“It’s just a beautiful working space,” said Hill Soldner, who is working on a series of kimono paintings done in oil.
Schmuckal said: “The four of us work in such different styles. We’re all interested in having this be a successful venture and be a positive, creative outlet.”
“We all have our own way of painting, but we help each other by sharing ideas and knowledge about using materials,” Hill Soldner said. “We share books, and we share each other’s time. We support one another.”
“There’s something about painting in a former sacred spot. You feel the energy. There’s something that’s very rejuvenating and nurturing,” Balabanow said.
Sharon Hill of West Dundee works below the art studio at Alan J. Coulson Land Surveyors. “I love to go up there. It’s a very bright, cheerful place. They’re working on new paintings all the time,” Hill said.
“It feels like a really safe place because it was a church,” Giznik said. “Sometimes we find ourselves whispering.”
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The studio, 205 W. Main St., is open the second Sunday of each month from 1 to 4 p.m.
