Final Fox River Paintings Exhibit Opens In September

From The Conservation Foundation: The final exhibit of the A Fox River Testimony collection of original Fox River oil paintings by local plein air artist Joel Sheesley, Artist-In-Residence for The Conservation Foundation’s Art of the Fox program, will be on display Sept. 14 through Nov. 15 at Elgin History Museum.

This exhibit will kick off with an Opening Reception from 6pm to 8pm the evening before, Friday, Sept. 13 with a brief talk by artist Joel Sheesley at 7pm. The reception is free but registration is required at www.theconservationfoundation.org/elginart

A selection of about 20 paintings created by The Conservation Foundation’s artist-in-residence Joel Sheesley will be exhibited at the Elgin History Museum. Sheesley created these paintings for Art of the Fox as part of The Conservation Foundation’s Fox River Initiative, an effort that aims to connect residents with the river and engage them to become environmentally conscious through local projects.

Sheesley originally planned to produce 50 to 60 paintings, but after spending nearly two years along an 80-mile stretch that took him from Dundee down to Ottawa, the collection grew to 72, and has kept right on going even after the commission period ended! He is up to more than 90 Fox River paintings, and a few of the new creations will be a part of the exhibit at Elgin History Museum. Joel has admitted he can’t see a place to stop, and that the final number of paintings “has a kind of indeterminate feel — as if in midstream.”

The Art of the Fox project took Sheesley along the banks of the Fox River and its tributaries, hiking on trails, and even canoeing to some locations, all with his French easel and paint box across his back. He even camped overnight to capture the light from the sunset and sunrise on the river’s surface.

The works selected for the exhibit show the changing character of the Fox River down into LaSalle County, where the sandstone cliffs offer a unique beauty showcasing the river’s geological past, in contrast to those reflecting the numerous urban areas along its path.

The exhibit will be available during regular museum hours Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Elgin History Museum is located at 360 Park Street, Elgin, IL.

Sheesley, an Emeritus Professor of Art at Wheaton College, chronicled his field experiences along with photos of the paintings in a 160-page coffee table book entitled “A Fox River Testimony,” which will be available for purchase at the exhibit for $55.69 with tax, along with a selection of high quality prints of some paintings.

The original oil Fox River oil paintings, A Fox River Testimony books and high-quality prints are available for purchase online by visiting artofthefox.org.

The Conservation Foundation is one of the region’s oldest and largest not-for-profit land and watershed conservation organizations, with more than 5,000 members. Founded in 1972, TCF has helped preserve more than 35,000 acres of open space, restored and cleaned miles of rivers and streams, and educated thousands of kids by engaging them in nature and the outdoors.

TCF’s mission is to improve the health of our communities by preserving and restoring natural areas and open space, protecting rivers and watersheds, and promoting stewardship of our environment.

Work is focused in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties to preserve and restore nature in your neighborhood, and The Conservation Foundation has been working in the Fox River watershed to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and human connection to the river since 1997.

Image Courtesy of The Conservation Foundation