"I just want to paint."
That sums up Greg Helding's feelings about art and, more specifically, his expansive art studio.
Helding is one of the artists working out of Racine's 16th Street Studios and is taking part in Saturday’s open house.
Visitors to the event will be greeted by artists in their studios, working on everything from photography to ceramic pieces.
In Helding's studio, No. 3610, the walls are covered by his oil paintings.
"When I started working on art, my goal was to work up to oil painting," said Helding, who also dabbled in pastels on paper and encaustic works.
He was "pretty good at art in high school" and got back to doing it after retiring from a career as an electrician.
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"I'm not a formally trained artist," he said. "I just do what I do, but I do appreciate trained artists."
Helding considers oil paintings "the highest form of artwork. All the other major works are oil paintings, and you really can't go any higher than that."
He paints "what makes me happy," which includes guitars, florals and figurative work, too.
Even his more abstract works "aren't a straight abstract painting. I usually start with something recognizable."
The Open House event, he said, "is a chance to talk with people about art, which is always fun. By the end of the day, I've lost my voice. That's the best part of the event. Making a sale is a bonus."
Fun with foam
Maureen Fritchen proudly calls herself "an environmental artist — one of those dumpster divers."
Her fourth-floor studio bursts with color from the pink and aqua Polyethylene foam she uses to create her pieces.
"I use materials that are going to be tossed away," Fritchen said. "Instead, I reuse it for art."
If you look closely, you'll see she makes use of items like oxygen tubing and glass test tubes in her pieces, too.
"When COVID hit," she added with a laugh, "I sat at home and cut all this foam material."
The foam, she said, "looks very fragile but it's not. It's going to be here for a thousand years, so we might as well make art from it."
The open house event, Fritchen said, "is a great chance to talk with people about your art. People are curious about what we do here, and it's really fun for them to see the different artists we have working here."
Fritchen's work is also on display at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Mathis Gallery. "Material Matters: A Visual Exploration of Social and Environmental Transformation," featuring her work and works by Glenn Williams, runs through May 15. The gallery is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday or by appointment. For more information, email Gallery Director Colin Matthes at gallery@uwp.edu.
A welcoming space
Susan E. Boehm enjoys "the camaraderie" about working at the 16th Street Studios.
"We have an unwritten rule here," she said. "If the studio door is closed, we're working and don't want to be disturbed. But if it's open, come on in. Sometimes, I like to just wander around and see what people are working on."
The artists, she added, "respect each other's privacy but are also there to help at the drop of a hat."
Boehm enjoys talking with visitors at the Spring Open House, which gives the public "the chance to see that we are working artists here," she said. "This is work. It's not just a hobby."
Her studio features portraits, which she does by working off of a photo, and abstract works. Even her abstracts, however, "always have a focal point."
One of her favorite pieces is a pencil drawing of her mother, "which really captures her spirit," Boehm said. "I took that photo a millisecond after I started putting my camera down. So my mom relaxed and let her pose go — that's when I knew I had to draw it."
Boehm, who teaches drawing and painting at UW-Parkside, has been creating art "literally since age 3. Professionally, I've been doing it for 30-plus years."
While in graduate school, Boehm created a new technique — by necessity.
"I combine acrylic paint with Gesso, an acrylic flat base coat," she explained. "I was broke and I didn't have any Titanium White paint, which is expensive, so I mixed some sanded Gesso into the paint and other colors started to appear."
The technique creates colorful, touchable paintings.
Visitors to the Open House event will find Boehm loves to talk with them about art. What she doesn't do "is a hard sell. If you like it and are still thinking about it later, you can always come back and find me. I just love creating art. That's why I'm here."
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If you go
What: Spring Open House at the 16th Street Studios
Where: 16th Street Studios in the Racine Arts and Business Center, 1405 16th St.
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 27
Admission: Free
Details: Artists who have studios in the 550,000-square-foot mixed use industrial building open their spaces to the public. Visitors can meet with the artists and purchase paintings, drawings, collage, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, photographs, fiber arts and more.
Food: Chit and Chaat will be serving Pakistani food, with several vegetarian options, in the building's second floor café.
Getting there: Free parking is available on the street and in the east and west lots. Visitors should enter the building on its north side at either of its two entrances, identified by canopies carrying the avenue numbers, 1405 and 1515. Greeters will provide maps and directions to elevators and stairways.
About the building: The Racine Arts and Business Center bills itself as "the oldest business incubator in the United States." The brick complex was constructed around 1865. In 1995, artists began occupying space in studios that boast exposed brick and beams and large windows.