are covered with her artwork. (Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
On Nov. 9, a lifelong dream became a reality for a longtime Homewood resident when her artistic creations were showcased in a one-woman exhibition at the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce headquarters in East Hazel Crest.
The event had been a lifetime in the making for Josie Rodriguez, who began her art studies as a teenager, but put them aside for decades while life intervened.
When Rodriguez finished her general education classes at Prairie State College in 1972, she planned a trip to Mexico City to spend time with her grandmother, whom she had not seen for a long time.
Art classes had been part of her studies at PSC, and when she got to Mexico City, her grandmother suggested that she take a few more classes with a local artist who had taken on private students. The classes were so inspiring that Rodriguez thought art might be her life’s work.
“I stayed in Mexico as long as my visa allowed, and I had to return to the United States after six months,” she said. Those six months were enough to give her confidence in her art, and she toyed with the idea of making a career out of it, but her dream was delayed for almost 50 years.
During that time, Rodriguez never lost her love of making art, but she had little time for it: She married Guillermo Rodriguez, who was studying education at Governors State University. The couple moved to Homewood, continued advancing in their respective careers, and had three children.
techniques with her art. For this one she literally poured paint
on a canvas and layered on paint embellishments for texture.
(Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
Rodriguez didn’t lose her passion for art, but now she was a working mother, a wife, an educator and a student. She said that while she dabbled in art a bit then, it was just a hobby.
“Occasionally, I took my art to shows and when I sold something, I would thank God,“ Rodriguez said. It was fulfilling for her, but it wasn’t enough to make a living.
Eventually Josie was named principal of Garfield Elementary School in Chicago Heights, where she said she was “strict but fun.”
One of her biggest projects in her six years as principal was working with members of the local National Council of Jewish Women, who helped finance and build a playground for the school and who spent time reading to the students.
“They were a big influence on my school, and I thank them for it every day,” Rodriguez said.
Both Josie and Guillermo retired from education in 2010. When COVID hit a decade later, Josie decided to pick up her paint brushes again.
“I can’t believe I can thank COVID for getting me to start painting again,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody was locked up and I told Guillermo, ‘I’m going to start painting.’ I missed it.”
During COVID, Rodriguez brushed up on her skills and used You Tube videos to teach herself how to use new techniques with new mediums. She created a prolific, diverse, portfolio of work. By the time the pandemic ended, she had covered almost every wall surface in her home with her creations, the logistics of displaying the art where people could see and buy it were a problem.
Josie Rodriguez’s art was the bridge to their friendship.
(Karen Torme Olson/H-F Chronicle)
Finally, three years ago, Josie’s daughters, Alicia and Ariana, secured two days of wall space to hang her art at Gypsy Fix Boutique in Flossmoor as a Christmas gift. The opportunity was one of many unique gift offerings thought up by Gypsy Fix owner Morgan Sullins of Flossmoor.
“That was my first showing,” Rodriguez said. It also was the start of her friendship with Sullins, who also arranged Rodriguez’s Nov. 9 show.
“I’m not sure how I got so lucky to cross paths with [Josie and Guillermo]. But when I count my blessings, I count them twice,” Sullins said. “Josie is insanely talented and continues to grow and improve her craft. She and her husband and family are some of the greatest people I’ve ever met.”
A collection of Josie’s paintings can be viewed at Gypsy Fix and at the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce in East Hazel Crest. To see more of Josie’s art, contact her by email at [email protected].
