The Beginning

from Lake County News-Sun/La Luz

Round Lake artist intends to make art more accessible

November 29, 2006
By Ryan Pagelow

Francisco Loyola of Round Lake wants to make art more accessible to people by cutting up prints of his painting into framed three-inch squares.

His painting “A New Beginning” and the smaller abstract prints will be on display at Gallery 57 in Highwood starting Dec. 1. A reception for Loyola will be held at 7 p.m. that day.

“Each individual square has its own personality,” Loyola said. “You can see them alone or together as part of the whole project.”

Originally from Mexico City, he came to the United States 20 years ago and has lived in Round Lake for the past 10 years. He teaches computer classes in Spanish at the College of Lake County and also designs Web pages. He recently launched his Web site www.franciscoloyola.com to promote his work.

“The idea is to create my own gallery online,” Loyola said. “The Internet has given us a lot of possibilities.”

Using his Web site people can select the square of his painting they would like to buy. Prints of his entire painting are also for sale online. This is his first attempt into professional art. He started participating in art shows 10 years ago, but always kept the paintings for himself or gave them to relatives.

The painting, 48 inches by 72 inches, shows a flower emerging from a ceramic pot with the starry universe and desert in the background.

“I wanted to capture that moment of discovery,” Loyola said. “You are looking for something that is already inside.”

Other works and jewelry from local artists and artists from Venezuela and Italy will also be on display at Gallery 57 which is located at 323 Waukegan Street in Highwood from 1 to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.