MARENGO, Ill. (AP) - Where others might see an alley, a back entrance to another downtown Marengo shop, Paul Turnbaugh sees art.
It’s what he sees most mornings with his dog, June, as the sun rises over Marengo Ridge and the pair take their morning hike. The wooded trail before him, his guitars, pictures of his son - all inspire. With an artist’s vision, life is all about potential, beauty.
“We’re kind of a secret,” Turnbaugh said as he headed to that alley, where he recently built a pergola topped by a wooden “WildHeartland” sign.
Eventually, this will become the main entrance to Turnbaugh’s new WildHeartland art gallery. There’ll be tables handcrafted by Turnbaugh, easels, food, wine, people. It’ll have an urban feel to it, he said.
For now, WildHeartland shares an entrance with the Marengo Chamber of Commerce at 116 S. State St. Tucked behind the chamber’s office space lies the unexpected.
“It’s a feast for the eyes,” said Turnbaugh, surrounded by a sampling of his more than 400 creations - paintings of wildlife, nature and his guitars, along with numerous patriotic creations, inspired both by his son, Elliott, a veteran of the Army infantry, and his upbringing.
“People come in here totally shocked with what they see. They don’t expect this in Marengo. . It’s pretty unique.”
A professional illustrator and artist who moved to Marengo several years ago looking to enjoy a small-town atmosphere - he’s now greeted by name at the nearby Dino’s Café - this is the 61-year-old Turnbaugh’s first gallery. He has big plans.
“When people come, we want them to leave feeling, ’Wow, that was a cultural experience,’ ” he said as June, the dog he recently adopted from Glory Bound Rescue in Marengo and fondly calls Junebug, meandered through the studio. Junebug rarely leaves Turnbaugh’s side.
Having opened at the start of the new year, Turnbaugh intends to host art shows and fundraisers for groups such as Glory Bound, promote other artists and bring in live music, food and wine.
His inspiration is the Starline Gallery in Harvard, a renovated historic factory where 4th Friday events showcase artists and live music monthly.
In the spring, Turnbaugh plans to offer art lessons, using both the gallery space and an abandoned basement area he’s transforming with the help of his gallery manager, Jacqueline Webster, a Marine he jokingly calls the “Resident Viking.” (The moniker is even printed on Webster’s business cards with an image of a viking.)
Turnbaugh hired Webster last summer to help him turn what once was a dilapidated space into the studio.
“This thing was a dive,” he said. “We gutted it and rebuilt it.”
What the two didn’t know how to do - the wood flooring, a new floorboard entrance and stairs to the basement, now called “Rivendell South” (a “Lord of the Rings” reference) - they figured out and continue to figure out along the way.
“We’re willing to try it all,” said Webster, who met Turnbaugh through mutual friends years ago as she participated with the McHenry County Marine Corps League in a Crystal Lake parade. Turnbaugh said she’s become like a daughter to him.
“I just get along with Marines,” Turnbaugh said. “They like the artwork, and I like their service.”
Having learned growing up to stop everything when the national anthem comes on and put your hand on your heart and to shake the hands of any military veterans he sees, Turnbaugh is an “unabashed patriot.”
His patriotic and military paintings - some created from actual images his son sent him from Afghanistan - have been replicated on products, such as coffee mugs. His goal is to eventually offer unique gift baskets with the mugs, and perhaps a print of his work. Other WildHeartland products include “Bringing Cool to Goobertown” T-shirts.
“That’s what we call Marengo because it reminds us of Mayberry,” Turnbaugh said. “It’s a term of affection. . People seem to get the joke.”
Keeping his main WildHeartland website at www.wildheartland.net , he’d like to eventually separate his work into several categories, representing his military/patriotic, outdoor-themed and guitar creations. He’s also quite active on WildHeartland’s Facebook page - www.facebook.com/wildheartlandart - where he’s known for daily pictures of his morning hikes and where he and Webster post quirky videos.
The two have interviewed animals at Glory Bound, where Turnbaugh has adopted a ram, Stonewall Jackson, and Webster a goat, Pete, for her daughter. The animals stay at the shelter, and they regularly visit, providing funding for their care.
Those who stop by the WildHeartland studio can’t leave without signing Turnbaugh’s “guest book” bathroom door. Inside the bathroom, personal photographs make a collage on the wall. “This is my life since I came to Marengo,” he said.
It’s about more than the business, he said.
“If people are going to buy your stuff, they want to know who you are,” said Turnbaugh, who’s made it his mission to meet as many people in Marengo as possible and to let others know what the town has to offer.
“Marengo has all it needs to become a cool little town people want to come to,” he said. “It just needs a boost.”
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Source: The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald, https://bit.ly/2jDLEEJ
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Information from: The Northwest Herald, https://www.nwherald.com
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