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Features spotlighting local Tri-Cities artists and makers.
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Oct 20, 2026
Andria Burchett went from teaching neighbors in her basement to running Beech Tree Studio in Geneva, where five weekly colored pencil classes are built on a key principle: anyone willing to learn can draw.
Oct 6, 2026
St. Charles painter Danielle Piloto blends classical technique with modern storytelling, creating portraits that tackle motherhood, liberty, justice, and how young women see themselves.
Sep 23, 2026
Retired art teacher Nicole Yingst turned a worrying moment in her baby’s hospital room into a 15-year tradition of tie dyeing onesies for new local moms, and she's still serving as a fine role model for young artists.
Sep 8, 2026
Retired engineer John Lo turned a lifelong passion for art into a thriving ceramics practice, and now the self-described “world traveler” gives half of his sales from shows and fairs to nonprofits.
Aug 31, 2026
Drawing on decades of experience as a healthcare worker, Batavia songwriter Steve Cohen now writes original "personal anthems" for clients and communities — including a recent tribute to John Lewis performed in Geneva.
Aug 16, 2026
Geneva sculptor Larry Johnson has spent decades turning clay and molten bronze into public art around the Tri-Cities, from the St. Charles library's fireplace piece to Peck Farm's "Prairie Girl."
Jul 13, 2026
Mary Ellen Segraves traded a corporate HR career for watercolor painting, and now the self-described "Accidental Painter" is finding beauty in unpredictability across the Fox Valley art scene.
Jun 23, 2026
Rosalie White stepped away from painting for nearly 40 years, but the work she's making now at Water Street Studios in Batavia reflects everything she learned during a journey that's been far from ordinary.
Jun 5, 2026
Geneva writer and artist Alexia Monaco turned an ovarian cancer diagnosis into two courageous books — and a resource for anyone who knows someone living with the disease.
May 19, 2026
Five decades into a writing life that spans poetry, satire, newspaper columns, and Tri-Cities writing group he still leads, Richard Holinger opens up about rejection, persistence, and what success in the field actually means.
May 5, 2026
Lynn Caldwell has spent 20 years as Executive Director of Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles — and the weaver, teacher, and self-described "Art Instigator" is still as inspired by the work as the day she signed up for her first loom class.
Apr 17, 2026
Geneva architect Charles Cassell has spent his retirement turning a lifelong love of watercolor into a one-man documentation project of Fox Valley history — partnering with local museums to preserve it, one painting at a time.
Apr 2, 2026
Matt Brej stumbled into a ceramics class at Elgin Community College two decades ago, which launched a dynamic career as a potter, teacher, and studio manager at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles.
Mar 16, 2026
A St. Charles basketweaver who got her start at a park district class in 1984 has spent the last four decades teaching her craft at Fine Line Creative Arts Center and weaving herself into the fabric of the local arts community.
Mar 2, 2026
Longtime Tri-Cities creative Ellen Ljung continues to shape the local arts and nonprofit community through her award-winning glasswork, published books, wearable art, and decades of volunteer service around the Tri-Cities.
Feb 4, 2026
St. Charles woodworker Bill Bergeson blends barn quilts, reclaimed barnwood, and local roots into art that’s earned recognition — and deepened his connection to the community.
Jan 3, 2026
Batavia artist Liza Mitchem is building a distinctive ceramics practice at Water Street Studios, blending science, fantasy, and animal portraiture into wheel-thrown pieces that have quickly found a local following.
Dec 13, 2025
Batavia sculptor and former city administrator Bill McGrath continues to grow his craft during “refinement” (don’t call it retirement), creating original metal artwork and serving on the board of Water Street Studios.
Dec 1, 2025
Local author and entrepreneur leads a wide range of creative work that supports local authors, strengthens the Fox Valley writing community, and fuels her own evolving projects.
Nov 13, 2025
Batavia-based artist and teacher Carly Palmer blends collage, painting, and writing to explore creativity, curiosity, and self-discovery while inspiring others through her workshops at Water Street Studios.
Oct 29, 2025
Local designer Cara Buono is transforming vintage and discarded materials into unique, faith-inspired clothing and teaching others her craft through classes at Fine Line Creative Arts Center.
