Nr. 2 on 30th Place
The 1920s craftsman bungalow has been transformed into a maximalist, colorful gallery with many salon walls featuring a wide range of art. Sabine, a graphic designer by trade and obsessed with collecting art, is supported by her patient partner Leighton. The love for art spills to the outside, with metal sculptures by @girlysteel, a free little art gallery, a custom painted free little library by @Fedzart and sidewalk joy installations, painted trash cans, and a garage door mural by @overbitestudio .
“Stay Curious, create, enjoy the process, and support living artists! ”
The Artist: Sabine
How long have you been practicing?
Sabine: I have been a graphic designer (27 years) & maker and I never considered myself an artist, however my views have been shifting and I am embracing my artistic tendencies by creating whimsical miniature dioramas and collages. Just like in my profession I appreciate working with parameters and assembling compositions.
What is your process?
It ebbs and flows. At times I work for deadlines for an art show or an art drop, or I just need to quiet my mind and do some ‘art therapy.’
What do you enjoy the most?
Pulling out all my materials and jumping between different ideas and seeing how they take shape.
What are you currently working on?
I will be creating miniatures containing mushrooms for Games of Shrooms an annual mushroom-focused free art drop I participate in, happening on June 14. Check out the website and find the map with everyone participating.
Anything else you’d like mentioned?
While working toward a result, I find the process of creating the most rewarding. We should all stop judging and just try different things, mediums, methods,… you might find something you love or just have a good time while exploring. I also enjoy creating with other artists and nurture community. In 2024 I discovered the Artist Collective and they have art-focused meet-ups, the Riverside Arts Center also offers creative outlets, and a group of friends and Berwyn artists has recently come together more frequently to explore different art projects, ranging from paper mache to portrait painting.
The Collector: Sabine
How did you begin to collect art?
I was a graphic design student at UIC and went to an art student art show at a bar in Chicago. I bought my first black and white etching for $75 and thought I was splurging.
How do you find artists and how do you select the artwork to purchase?
I go to lots of art fairs, and art events like the SAIC student art show, gallery art openings, and not to forget thriftstores. The fantastical ink drawings by Héctor Barrón I first discovered at the Tamale Hut Cafe (located in a stripmall they offer their walls for art displays). I first saw Kathleen Eaton’s at the Ann Arbor, Michigan Arts Fair and years later in Chicago. I couldn’t afford her original oil paintings but when I got my first raise in my mid-20s I visited her studio and was able to purchase 2 silkscreen on panel pieces. I love how they glow from within, and actually prefer the crisp lines from the screen printing.
I follow artists on social media. Artists will also share about other artists’s work which can lead down a wonderful rabbit hole. This is how I discovered Lauren Pearce who creates amazing paintings and now multi-media pieces. Sarah Benning, a fiber artist who I met as a student at SAIC, posted her art wall with one of Lauren’s pieces and I started following and signing up to get emails when new work was available and I was able to get ‘Sannah.’
Do you have a process for displaying your art collection or does it happen organically?
I started with one picture per wall and eventually started creating salon walls as I was running out of room. The basement stair gallery was the first one I created 9 years ago (It took 3 days), the bedroom gallery I did a few years ago and I tried doing a color range. The dining room wall is the most recent installation with larger art pieces grouped by color. I arranged pieces on the floor and then hung them one by one. I often still rearrange and try to display newer pieces in a more visible spot. Similarly sized pieces usually get rotated so I get to enjoy them in different spaces. It’s always fun when Leighton asks: Is this new? and I reply: Nope, it was in the basement before.
Do you have a favorite piece?
At times the newest, but truly, I love pieces for different reasons. The subject or method speaks to me, I know the artist, or the memory of how I found and acquired the pieces will make it special. I move art around so I can see pieces in different spaces.
Any unusual stories to tell about an art piece?
I carried the gigantic abstract egg tempera on board painting by Anna Charney from the SAIC student sale on Michigan Avenue on a super windy day to Union Station because the Uber had a surcharge. A kind person on the train helped me get it back to my house (I am fairly certain I have a small tear in my rotator cuff because of that stunt). I also found the piece of ‘PBR Man in rocket briefs’ at Goodwill for $4.99, I don’t know the artist but I just love the absurdity and contrast of naive-realistic style.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I think supporting artists is critical for our society. Supporting those who create makes everything richer. I generally feel that if a piece speaks to you, if it makes you smile, think, fills you with comfort, you should get it immediately. If you can get art directly from artists that is ideal so they know their work is appreciated and they get the most money vs. a gallery. Galleries have their place but they do take a significant cut.
Artists in my Collection
Highlights:
Sunroom/Living Room
Heather Hug @hugmunculus Ceramics “Uncle Bub”
@Jane_sirinek “Native Wreath” original Hand Cut, @angelonofre “Stabby Stab Stab“ via @studionez_thegallery, fiber birds and pillows by @jessylaubishandmade.
“Our Mother of Mystery” mushroom sculpture by Michael Campbell, airdry Clay Mushroom @speaking_in_rainbows, ceramic mushrooms Christine Blanek and Stacey Dallmann of Snew Ceramics.“Our Mother of Mystery” mushroom sculpture by Michael Campbell, airdry Clay Mushroom @speaking_in_rainbows, ceramic mushrooms Christine Blanek and Stacey Dallmann of Snew Ceramics.
Rachaela DiRosaria “Lord of Darkness,” Mr. Walters @nerfect mixed media The Extraordinary Commodore Frogg and his Traveling Companion, Dame Edna Greyfeathers” part of the show “Träume der Stubenfliege,” Vase by Belén Pérez Pérez @belen_arte_ceramica, @rmarfisepaintings landscape, wood pieces by dad and misc other artists.
Kathleen Eaton “Bungalow Sunset,” Numbered Edition: 8 of 31
Kathleen Eaton uses a combination of techniques to produce multiples of her images. The basic color and pattern areas are developed using silk screen and hand cut stencils to apply oil paint to hard board panel. After each stenciled layer tonal variations and details are accomplished by painting in the traditional manner. Each color requires a different stencil and typically there are over 200 different colors used. Throughout the edition the stenciled areas will be the same but the hand painted parts will vary from piece to piece. The completed pictures are numbered serially. A second piece hangs in the bedroom “2 Flats Street,” Numbered Edition: 48/50
@tonyfitzpatrick9 Narcotic Original Etching 2014, @mattxschu custom water color of the house,
“19 Gold Coins ($1140)” by @_e.lee_ and part of the “Breaking the Bank” show @allstarpresschicago. Perfect spot where it is lit from the correct side.
“Onlooker” by @fedzart , book sculpture by Alexander Korzer-Robinson, Jessica Pignotti @jpartandneedlecraft thread scull, Cthulhu Fiber Sculpture @melissa_sue_stanley
Jessica Thuente original portraits @tintyart and Kris McDermott multimedia collage @saltysaidsweetly
Dining Room
@red_cave_ formerly CVRUBIS “Mega Chapulin” 2020, @atombasham “Dumpster Godiva” part of a show Dungeons & Drag Queens in 2021 at gallery.rotofugi.com, @patrickjilbert “Gold Stripe,” @jabrumz Jason Abrams screenprint on panel with painted details, Alex Covarrubias, “Shut It Dragon” by Berwyn artist @sameandwent
Olivera Pudar — Legs in Studio, @sarahkbenning student work from SAIX, @hectorblackink — Tortuga, Moritz Zwimpfer (J.A. Schneider)/ Prag Exhibit, @laurenmpearce — Sannah, Roiz Montoya @roiz_tmroiz_tm — “Ephemeral,” and German Artist Martina Leykamm — Nürnberg Sage, I received as a gift from Mom 30 years ago.
Bedroom Gallery
@annacharneyart @minahpaulines_steine @justindmiller_art @danabloede @ldshell @jessylaubishandmade @cristianabruscoart @magali_almada_ @karrijamisonart, @ptak.alex @theartistforever Blanche Eden, Robyn Oliver, Roland Fürstenhöfer
@steveseeleyart The Voyeurs show at All Star Press! "How to Tie Knots," Kathleen Eaton
Bathroom
@alliekushnir “The Fourth Time We Danced” (blues) and “Before Winter” (pink)
Basement Stair Gallery created in 2022:
Donna Castellanos @castellanosdesign Bat painted on Braille Paper, Rachaela DiRosaria, various Thriftstore finds, early print by @lizitto, TV Head @eric_budz,
Kitchen
Frida by Luna G Vallarta @gallery.lunas.mx. Popotillo refers to a traditional Mesoamerican art form that uses dyed, pressed straw pieces, often broom straw, to create intricate designs on a beeswax-coated canvas. It's a form of straw mosaic, similar to tile mosaic, Piano Key Figure by Marvin Tate
Additional Resources
Fabricator/Metal Work @livefreefabrication
Furniture Upholstery & Repair Lonnie Easley, 708-843-1763
Housekeeping/Cleaning by Madga/”Maggie”, 773-584-8366