A wine and cheese reception will take place to celebrate the opening of an exhibit titled “Front Steps and Stor(i)es” by artist Kathy Hirsh from 2 – 4 p.m. Sunday, September 8, 2019 in the Narrow Gallery at the Oak Park Arms, 408 S. Oak Park Ave. The reception and the exhibit are free and open to the public.
Kathy Hirsh worked as a surgical illustrator for 25 years and has a B.A. in Fine Arts and an M.A. in Biomedical Visualization. As a contemporary observational painter, she paints where she resides, whether it’s Kathmandu, China, or Oak Park.
“For the last two years I’ve wandered around Oak Park with my easel and paints, setting up everywhere, finding store fronts on those select days when the doors are open and inviting and front porches when the light is just right,” Hirsh said.
In both oil and on the iPad, she starts with a small sketch in black and white and then does an underpainting, identifying colors beneath the surface with an abstract wash. She creates a multilayered surface with numerous applications of pastel or oil.
“I want to keep the painting process visible/apparent to maintain the integrity of each individual stroke and to keep a sense of the beginning and the end,” Hirsh said.
Hirsh teaches drawing and painting at the Oak Park Art League and privately. She has been featured in The Artist Magazine, shown at the National Gallery of Beijing, is a member of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago, and is in private collections in the United States, Asia, and Europe.
The exhibit can be viewed daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. through October 27.
The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides senior independent living and assisted living apartments. Additional services include respite care and an adult day care program. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.
Again, the reception and the exhibit are free and open to the public. For more information call 708-386-4040.
