Member Spotlight

Carol Kazwick

Artist Carol Kazwick has always been interested in exploring the visual arts in different media and formats, and especially with “all things paper”. Her first formal experiences began when she took classes as an art major at North Central College, earning a Bachelors Degree in Art, and at College of DuPage where she earned a Certificate in Advertising Design and Illustration. The fine arts training she received in combination with the layout and illustration skills she mastered provided a foundation for her personal artwork and work ethic.

After graduating from college, Carol continued to develop her artistic voice by taking a variety of workshops and classes with a number of nationally recognized artists. During this time she discovered Fine Line Creative Arts Center in Geneva and was initially attracted to the discipline of weaving. She also returned to her long-standing interest in paper as a medium and taught herself how to make paper. When a faculty position in papermaking opened at Fine Line, Carol began teaching classes. Eventually, Carol also added book making and collage art to her course list. She found great satisfaction in creating her collages as she embraced the discoveries and connections that occurred when re-using different source materials and the possible narratives that the collages suggested.

Carol describes her interest in the natural world and its relevance to her art: “The landscape, the natural world, texture and color are my inspirations. Using my handmade paper, with found and/or natural objects, I hope to celebrate the beauty of the environment we share and are surrounded by every day. I create the paper to specifically express the intention of each piece. I have also used encaustic wax to coat some of the paper as well as the occasional addition of accents of other fibrous paper and found objects.”

Carol made a lasting legacy donation to Fine Line in 2013 by donating land to the campus that had been restored as a prairie habitat. In addition to creating an open space that enhances Fine Line’s natural and inspirational setting, the prairie provides art materials that Carol and her students use to make pulp for papermaking and materials for books and collage projects. 

In addition to teaching at Fine Line, Carol also serves at the Co-Coordinator of the Fine Line Gallery Committee and is the 2D Design Department Chair. Carol’s work has also appeared in a number of publications including the Prairie Tapestry Newsletter, which she edited. Carol is a member of the Yellow House Artists, the Midwest Collage Society, the Downers Grove Artists’ Guild and the Alliance of Fine Art. Carol continues to exhibit her work in regional and national shows, and she has received numerous awards over the past twenty years. Her work is included in public and private collections. Carol’s artwork is currently available for purchase in the Dempsey Gallery at Fine Line.

 

See more of Carol's work here.

For more information about Carol and her work, please visit her website at: www.carolkazwick.com.

 

Barbara Dyche

When Barb retired from full-time teaching as a classroom teacher and Intermediate Grades Gifted Specialist, she found herself wondering how to fill her days. Barb’s faith is very important to her, and she found that God answered her questions by directing her to “become the person she should be” and to take the steps necessary to become that person. Some of the steps she took included presenting workshops, teaching English to Chinese English teachers in China for five summers, and creating, developing and teaching the Chicago area’s inaugural Colson Fellows Worldview Cohort program.

Another important step for Barb was fulfilling her belief that we all have gifts and talents along with learning limitations. She felt her goal was to find out what her gifts and talents were and to develop them to her greatest potential while also overcoming her limitations. Barb has been fascinated with art from an early age, and has many fond memories that have contributed to her artistic development and world-view. As an artist and life-long learner, Barb has always been eclectic in her interests and has a desire to try new ideas and work with a wide variety of materials and art processes. A long-time member of Fine Line, Barb took many different classes over the years and found that her passion for combining media and art processes gave her great joy and satisfaction. When asked to describe a common theme in her work, Barb said her work “reflects her fascination with nature through observing, recording and imitating the intricacies and patterns of the natural world”.

Barb’s creativity is very important to her, and believes we are created in God’s image. She prefers to see herself as a “producer for the benefit of others” rather than a “consumer for her own benefit”. She is able to fulfill both of these attributes through her volunteer work and participation at Fine Line. She values Fine Line as a place that “offers opportunities for exploration, growth, self expression, belonging and contribution.”

During the past months, Barb found she was able to use her extended time at home to develop a dedicated studio space. You can find Barb volunteering, taking more art classes and attending Fine Line events. Her work is available for purchase in the Dempsey Gallery.

 See more of Barbara's work here.