Nr. 1 on Wenonah
A beautifully restored American FourSquare home (1910) with much of its original woodwork and flooring houses a collection of unique art, ranging from local artists, to outsider art, to Mexican carved masks and traditional Mexican linocut prints. Each floor and room is carefully curated. The garden carries the artistic sensibility of the owners to the outside.
The Collectors: Jamie & Michael
How did you begin to collect art?
Michael: I grew up with art. My aunt was a professional artist in Chicago and my grandfather was a self-taught artist.
How do you find artists and how do you select the artwork to purchase?
We collect all manner of art and objects that appeal to us. We find a lot of tiny items in the street and we have acquired much of our furniture from thrift stores and alley picking. Bits of glass, stones, tiny figures — they all become art when they enter the house!
As for the more traditional pieces, we have friends who are artists and we purchase their work. We have also been gifted artwork from artists we know. Michael has a big collection of Mexican masks. Jamie is a stained glass artist herself. We gravitate to Mexican art, outsider art, and “found” art.
Do you have a process for displaying your art collection or does it happen organically?
It has grown organically over the years. Each room in our house is a different color, so that can sometimes influence where the art goes. The third floor has become the site of much of our Mexican art.
Do you have a favorite piece?
Our recent favorite is a colored pencil drawing of a wolf by Chicago Artist Duncan Anderson called “Last Look.” We adopt senior dogs, and it reminds us of our current dog. It is also a political message of looking back at the last phase of our country’s democratic experiment. Jamie bought a painting from an unhoused person on the street in New York City in 1993 that is a watercolor and gold leaf image of a woman. She paid $1 for it. It is one of her favorite pieces.
Any unusual stories to tell about an art piece?
We have a drawing board study sheet from Arizona artist Don Colley that I acquired in 1991, it’s images of the American West during the early Atomic Age portrayed in stylized cartoon depictions. One of the characters is Charlie Steen. We recently learned the curious boom and bust life story of uranium prospector Charlie Steen on a 2023 trip to Moab, Utah.
Collector’s Statement (offered as a print out on the day of the tour)
Welcome to our restored 1910 American Four Square home!
We’ve never had a master plan or set collecting goals—we simply live with art. Much of our fine art has been created by local artists, many of whom are friends. We find objects, artwork, ethnographic pieces, pottery, furniture, trinkets, toys, and doodads—that bring us joy, and we loosely curate them throughout our home. We've never purchased or made a piece with a specific intention (yes, Jamie paints and fabricates stained glass); somehow, everything we come upon finds its place.
What delights us?
Starting on our front porch, you’ll find folk art and crafts, thrift store artwork, bits of Americana, kitsch, some of Jamie’s stained-glass, Mid-Century ceramics, hand painted chairs, and one life-sized, stuffed wolf cuddle-toy.
Moving into the foyer, highlights include works by Chicago artists Tony Fitzpatrick and Tim Anderson, a Haitian spirit painting for the 1970’s, a West African wood a fabric headpiece, a prominent Arts and Crafts stained-glass window original to the house – beneath it sits a late 18th Century Korean ceramic senser. Around the corner, you’ll find a drawing board study sheet from Albuquerque/Chicago artist Don Colley.
In the living room, there’s a large pyrography etching in a repoussé frame, American art pottery, assorted Blenko glass vases, and paintings by Peter Mars and Jenny Booth. You’ll also see and beaded, cowrie shell wooden stool from Cameroon, carved Mexican santos, and one of our personal favorites—a female cardinal painted by Illinois artist, Marlene McCauley.
The dining room features four large works by Chicago artist Tom Billings, two additional paintings by Jenny Booth, a cyanotype by Martha Frady, a Moroccan ceramic and silver jar, and a collection of Mid-Century glassware and cocktail shakers.
Our bright yellow kitchen hosts more American art pottery, dishware from Fiesta and Russel Wright, and additional works by local artists, including a bat-themed print collage by Alex Brightman, above it a Joseph Cornell inspired wooden box, and another small Tom Billings on the opposite wall, a folk-art plywood barn, there’s also an enormous encaustic-on-plywood panel by Martin Giese.
As you ascend to the second floor, you’re greeted by “Self-Portrait as a Baby” by Tim Anderson. Look left for a curated riot of pink! To the right, in the office, you’ll find another piece by Tom Billings, a pastel and pencil abstract by Soviet artist Petek, a limited addition poster by the late, Frank Kozik, beeswax dolls from the Amazon, unique wire and polychrome chimeras from the Linares family, Haitian altar bottles, vintage toys, and an accumulation of flotsam and jetsam we've acquired over time.
The blue guest room features our newest favorite piece, A Last Look Back by Duncan Anderson; a large oil painting by British artist Lisa Cole; two more works by Tom Billings; a geometric oil crayon drawing by self-taught artist George Colin; a Mid-Century abstract oil by Ethel Gelick; and a 1970s fish print. In the red bedroom, the two vibrant window-frame paintings are by homeowner Jamie Franklin. You’ll also find two pieces of "found art" by unknown artists—one depicting crows in a bare tree, the other an abstract painted on a tin panel.
Finally, you’ve reached the third floor. On your way up the stairs, notice a colorful, naïve still life by Michael’s Russian grandfather. This top floor houses Michael’s collection of Mexican and Guatemalan masks, a large linocut by Alex Brightman titled I’m from Here, I’m from There, a smaller linocut by Oaxacan printmaker Alberto Cruz, and a self-portrait as a calavera by the late, legendary Pilsen artist, singer, poet, and political activist Carlos Cortez.