Room to Grow

A couple recounts the evolution of their obsession with art and share their collecting strategies for their Chicago and California homes.

By John O’Hern | Photography by Francis Smith

Rick and Jim live with their collections in their homes in Chicago and Rancho Mirage, California. Rick refers to the Chicago collection as “mature,” meaning that the walls are full and he doesn’t want to store art in a closet. The California collection is still growing with recent purchases ranging from abstraction to fine realism—an eclectic, fascinating mix.

The couple have been together for 45 years and have been married since 2011. Their homes had been furnished with more decorative art before their move to Chicago in the early 2000s.On the left in the living room is Untitled, 1997, zinc, by Tadeusz Torzecki. Above the fireplace is Portrait of Nati Zohar, 2005, charcoal on mylar, by Mary Borgman. Above the sofa is Walk in the Park, 1998, acrylic, spray enamel and oil on canvas, by DZINE, aka Carlos Rolón. On the coffee table is Splash, 2022, bronze on marble base, by Caleb O’Connor, next to 3 Stags, 1980, bronze, by an unknown artist.

“It wasn’t until we moved to Chicago that we started going to art galleries and attending art fairs,” explains Rick. “At that time, we were mostly just ‘lookers’ as the notion of buying art was a bit intimidating not to mention more expensive. One story I recall is that we’d gone to perhaps our third art fair, and I was walking around saying how much I loved this thing and that thing. When we finished, I said well it’s time to leave and Jim admonished me for looking but never acting. That was a challenge, so off I stomped and ended up buying three pieces. Taking that step changed everything. The flood gates were opened and that officially began our journey.”On the top shelf of the bar is Untitled, 2013, gouache on Sakamoto paper, by Anna Kunz. On the adjoining wall is a polychrome page from an 18th century Indian book. Beneath it are two assemblages of found objects (from top) Size Queen and Trailer Park Thrill Ride, by John Seubert. The large painting is Bruno Surdo’s Ecco L’uomo (Behold the Man), 2013, oil on linen. In the entrance hall is Frank Oriti’s Black and Blue, 2015, oil on canvas. On the left is Looking Back, 2021, welded steel with patina, by Chris Hill and on the right is Relic in Black, 2019, bronze, by Dean Kugler.

Above the 19th century French secretary is Johann, 2009, oil on canvas, by Tim Anderson. The handcrafted brass and copper wire pod lamp, 2000, is by Linnea Gits.

As they acquired more art, friends remarked to Rick that they thought he was becoming “obsessed” with art. “I felt somewhat offended,” Rick says, “but later read interviews with other collectors who said that they felt it was somewhat of an obsession. Now I take that label as a compliment!” Jim relates that the couple in question have, themselves, become “obsessed” with art.

In the guest bedroom are two oil-on-gesso paintings from 1988 by Cathy Vanvoorhis; (from left) Study—Field with a Summer Storm and Study—View of a Road.

Above the chair in the guest room is Sunken Place, 2019, acrylic on canvas, by Vidvuds Zviedris. The bronze sculpture is Orbitae, 2018, by David Gaut.

Art became their passion, and they chose to focus on that rather than on expensive travel and other hobbies. They seldom disagree on their purchases and never view them as an investment. They initially brought pieces from Chicago to Rancho Mirage where they thought they might work better because of the large walls and 14-foot-high ceilings. “We brought them because they have more room to breathe,” Jim says. Mary Borgman’s Portrait of Nati Zohar, for instance, which is over 6-feet tall, now commands the living room as it soars above the fireplace. Igor and Marina’s Two Heads are Better Than One was in a narrow hallway in Chicago but now commands their California entrance hall.In the dining room is Untitled, 1983, oil and chalk on canvas, by Robert C. Endres. Seen mirrored In the family room are (from left) Stormy Weather, 2021, oil on canvas, by Leonard Koscianski and Guardian: Ferrum, 2018, steel and resin, by Dean Kugler. On the dining table is a monumental blue and white ocean bowl, a contemporary hand-painted porcelain piece cast with a cobalt glaze from Beijing, China.

In the entrance hall is Two Heads are Better Than One, 2005, oil on canvas, by Igor & Marina (Igor Kozlovsky and Marina Sharapova). Beneath it is a 19th-century Chinese wooden bench.

When they began looking at Chicago galleries, they found Thomas Masters Gallery in their neighborhood. It was there that they discovered their unusual zinc sculptures by Tadeusz Torzecki.

Ann Nathan and her eponymous gallery were nearby and has since been succeeded by Gallery Victory Armendariz. Victor had been Ann’s assistant director for nearly 10 years. Rick recalls being in Ann’s gallery and admiring a painting by Caleb O’Connor. As he was talking to Ann, Victor was showing the piece to another potential collector. Rick told Ann, “I want that painting.” Minutes later the other collector told her the same thing, but he was too late. To the left of the doorway are (from left) Guardian: Ferrum, 2018, steel and resin, by Dean Kugler and Stormy Weather, 2021, oil on canvas, by Leonard Koscianski. In the adjoining room is Wayward, 2003, oil on panel, by Aaron Smith. Hanging to the right of the doorway is Shackled Hope, 2011, oil on canvas, by Christopher A. Klein. Beneath it is The Black Road: Bronze and Gold, 2021, bronze, resin and gold leaf, by Dean Kugler. On the dining table is a monumental blue and white ocean bowl, a contemporary hand-painted porcelain piece cast with a cobalt glaze from Beijing, China.Ann and Victor were instrumental in the couple’s lending pieces from their collection to The Rockford Museum of Art in Illinois. Victor later invited Rick to speak to a group of Canadian artists at SOFA (The Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design Fair) in Chicago on two occasions. The artists wanted to know from a collector what motivates a collector to purchase a piece so they could learn how to approach their own potential collectors.In the den is an oil and mixed media, Visions Fugitives No. 9, 2004 by Vidvuds Zviedris. The bronze figures are (from left) Seated Man and Winged Warrior, by Larry Warchal.

In the powder room is The Hidden Love of Hadrian and Antinous, 2020, oil on board, by Bruno Surdo.

Around 2003, they purchased a painting by Aaron Smith at Ann Nathan’s gallery for their home in Chicago. Some 15 years later, they were at Gallery Victor Armendariz and sitting in readiness for hanging in a show was another Aaron Smith painting from the same 2003 show that they clearly remembered as one they had originally admired. It now graces their family room in California

The striking portrait, Johann, by Chicago artist Tim Anderson has an interesting backstory. Anderson based his painting on a 1928 photograph of the Sinti boxer Johann Trollman. The Sinti, often described as gypsies, were persecuted by the Nazis in Germany and sent to concentration camps. In the camps, Johann was forced to box with members of the Nazi troops and was murdered after he was the winner in a bout.In the primary bedroom are (clockwise from lower left) Untitled, 1990, watercolor on silk scarf, by Betsy Anderson, Untitled, 1997, oil on canvas, by Jennifer Taylor and Maria Callas, 2018, oil on canvas, by Tim Anderson.

On the left in the main entrance hall is Arch by the Sea, 2018, acrylic on canvas, by Vidvuds Zviedris. In the middle is David Ligare’s Arcadian Shepherd, 2021, oil on canvas. On the table beneath the Ligare are (from left) Iceberg, 2019, zinc, by Tadeusz Torzecki and Untitled, blown glass, 2021, by Marcus Thesing. Hanging on the right is Iquitos, 2018, acrylic on canvas, by Vidvuds Zviedris. Beneath it is Head #4, 2008, epoxy resin with wood and metal stand, by Rory Burke. On the left is Untitled, 1979, porcelain, by Richard Hensley.They also learned the story of Bruno Surdo’s self portrait Ecco L’uomo (Behold the Man). Bruno had photographed graffiti in Venice which he then painted as the background for his portrait. He sports a Renaissance ruff collar and is holding a spray can.

A number of years ago, Rick was reading The New York Times and saw an article referring to the Cleveland artist, Frank Oriti, who paints portraits of his blue collar friends and neighbors. The article included a photo of the artist at his studio with a new self-portrait sitting on an easel. Rick cut out the article and filed it. Perhaps two years later, he saw an ad for RJD Gallery which mentioned an upcoming show for Oriti. Rick spoke with the gallery owner and, as fate would have it, the self-portrait was still available. It now hangs in Chicago.

They had seen an ad for Leonard Koscianski’s paintings and became interested in his work. J. Willott Gallery in nearby Palm Desert carries his paintings and they have since acquired a painting for each of their homes. “They’re haunting,” Rick remarks.

The collectors are blessed with friends who appreciate their art, often remarking, “I feel like I’m in an art gallery!” Rick says, “the art embraces us. In the evening when we sit down with a cocktail and look around, we feel blessed to have these wonderful pieces around us.” Jim adds, “We walk by pieces for weeks at a time and often don’t notice them. At other times one will catch my attention, and I will stand there and study it.” —