Five Portraits

For over 25 years, Junction City was home to the Peoria Art Guild’s Fine Art Fair, one of the area’s signature cultural events, which takes place every September and enjoys a national reputation as one of the top fairs in the country. Just over a decade ago, the Fine Art Fair moved to its current location at the Peoria RiverFront.

Because the artists featured at the Fine Art Fair come from all over the country, the Art Guild wanted to develop another fair focused on the amazing pool of local artistic talent. In 2006, the Guild once again teamed up with Junction City Ventures and its retailers to host the Art Fair at Junction City.

In this, its fourth year, the fair will feature 50 local artists, who all reside within a 100-mile radius of Peoria. They cover a variety of media, including jewelry, ceramics, painting, photography, glass, wood, mixed media, 2D, sculpture and wearable fiber. The following pages provide an opportunity to get to know five of the participants in the Art Fair at Junction City and get a taste for their work. To find out more about these artists— and the other 45 artists at this year’s fair—stop by the Junction City Shopping Center at 5901 N. Prospect in Peoria on June 6th and 7th. For more information on the fair itself, contact Stacy Peterson-Steiner at 671-1093 or slpsteiner@peoriaartguild.org.

Tracey Frugoli
2008 Winner, Best in Show
Tracey Frugoli has been painting with oil since 1999, working in the Peoria area for about nine years. She freelances for American Artist’s quarterly periodical, Workshop, and is the Illinois/Midwest regional editor for Fine Art Connoisseur. Born in Chicago, Frugoli has a BFA from Illinois State University and an MA in Art Therapy from Southern Illinois University.

She would often watch her father sketch as a child, and he encouraged her to study art, providing materials and support. Through his example, she discovered her own aptitude for creative work.

As a direct painter, technique is very important to Frugoli. She typically works on her paintings while they are still wet, not waiting for layers to dry. This allows her to control her edges and brushwork, and “impart and sense the energy and movement” of her work. She sometimes chooses a subject that she recognizes as popular, but her work does not cater to the masses. “Painting for anyone other than my muse is certain death to inspiration to me,” she explains.

Frugoli enjoys painting alongside other artists, and has a portrait painting group at her Peoria studio. She also travels to en plein air painting events—French for “in the open air”—where she paints outdoors. Garnering inspiration from the natural world, Frugoli is interested in how light affects her subject matter. Having learned about her craft from past and present representational painters, she has gained new inspiration for her own work.

Frugoli feels that, as an artist, it is her responsibility to produce art that benefits society. While she went through a phase of creating art to challenge society in the past, after 11 years as an art therapist, she felt that there was too much ugliness in the world. Seeking to create works that are beautiful and healing, she now focuses on artwork that “feeds the soul.”

Frugoli has participated in the Art Fair at Junction City since its inception. This year, she is looking forward to showcasing smaller, more detailed works. Because she makes her living by selling her artwork, she is drawn to art fairs like this one, as it provides an excellent venue to meet potential patrons. She also likes to observe people’s reactions to see if her intended impact came across.

Art is like breathing for Frugoli—it is part of her soul. Through painting the natural world, she feels a connection with “that which is greater than me.” She feels humbled, and believes her patrons can have that connection too. Frugoli said, “Some people look to prayer, to God, to the Buddha, to nature, or to each other. Whatever it may be, these paintings—these experiences—are my prayer.”  

Adrienne Risby was born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, and has lived in Hawaii and California, but has made Peoria her home for the past 28 years. She didn’t study art in school and never obtained a degree—something which used to make her feel self-conscious around other artists. But does one who has been called “prolific” by her instructor need a degree in art?

Risby has drawn portraits since she was a child. Over the years, she left and returned to her craft several times, but has found a renewed fervor for it since her children have grown up. Most of her work consists of portraits, but her success has allowed her to explore other avenues, like abstract painting. “I do the portraits, and that gives me the money to keep my studio going, and I do paintings with that time.”

A very spiritual person, Risby said, “I believe there is a reason why [God] has given me [this] talent.” There have been times “when I’ve said ‘Forget this; this isn’t going anywhere, it’s a hobby.’ No, it’s not a hobby—it’s like a sixth finger—it’s part of me, and as long as I’m doing it, I’m happy.” From time to time, when Risby gets frustrated with her art, she steps back and asks God for guidance on where to go next.

“I’m an artist who paints intuitively,” says Risby. When painting a portrait, she tries to find something about her subject that really touches her. “It might be a picture of a child, and something about the smile, something about those eyes, something about their innocence will help me execute it.” When she finds that something, it doesn’t take long to complete the piece. “I’ll get into it, start painting, and boom, it’s done. And when I’m finished, everything I felt about that painting shows.”

Risby credits local artists Preston Jackson and Vin Luong with providing guidance in her creative path. Working as a resident for Jackson for eight years introduced her to new styles and techniques, while Luong was someone from whom Risby could get honest critiques of her work. “Family members tend to just tell you you’re good,” she noted, although she greatly appreciates the constant support of her family and friends. “My parents always pushed me to keep at it,” she said.

Last year was the first in which she participated in the Junction City Art Fair, and she received a very favorable response. This year, she will showcase a themed body of abstract paintings.

Always striving to be a better artist, Risby took painting classes at ICC to learn structural things about the medium, not having had a formal art education. She is always trying new things and seeking to stretch herself beyond her comfort zone as an artist. Earlier this year, she painted murals at her church and loved every minute of it. Peoria certainly hasn’t seen everything this artist has to offer!

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