By MICHAEL GIBBS & amp;#x2022; mgibbs@nwnewsgroup.com ALGONQUIN - After the 1995 death of her severely handicapped 1-month-old daughter, Pat Stein's priorities changed. In 1996, Stein left her job in the financial industry and went back to school. During the next few years, Stein spent all the money she had saved in her 401(k) retirement account to pay for classes at several art schools across the country, including the now-shuttered Windy City Arts Studio in Chicago and the North American School of Decorative Art, which now is based in Villa Park. "When a child you love so much dies, it changes all your priorities and what you are passionate about," Stein said. "I decided corporate America was not the place for me anymore. "I moved into another department. I was pregnant with another child and was going to be on bed rest for the pregnancy. I did not feel all that was fair to my company. I cut ties and left." The art classes helped Stein rediscover an interest in art she had many years earlier. In 2000, after "doing a lot of freebie work for family and friends," Stein decided it was time to get paid for her work. She opened Stein Design out of her Algonquin home. Stein's paintings focus on photo realism, "which is the illusion of the mind, tricking someone into thinking what I painted is actually there." They range in size from 2 feet by 3 feet to 4 feet by 8 feet and larger for murals. "I always was creative, into art and design," she said. "But my parents did not think art was a good way to go. There is no money in art, they told me, so I took the more sensible route. "My business background has helped me a lot. I know business. I have management tools, all the information I need for tax filing, how to deal with people, making contacts, those types of things." Stein works out of a studio inside her home. She gets most of her business through referrals. "It was a slow start, but the business has worked its way up," she said. "I probably could be a lot busier and make a lot more money. But I have three children ages 9 to 15. Spending time with them is the most important thing to me." Stein works with her clients to find out what they want. She gives them a price, and if the client agrees, she starts painting. "I enjoy knowing that what I am working on already is sold," she said. "As an artist, it is very fulfilling to bring somebody's ideas to life." Stein charges by the square foot and how much time she will need to complete it. "If the piece requested is very simple and in a realistic format, I might charge $25 a square foot," she said. "If it is in real elaborate detail, I could charge as much as $150 a square foot. Every piece of art is different." Stein Design LOCATION: 1590 Barrington Court, Algonquin. PHONE: (847) 721-5441. E-MAIL: patsteindesign@aol.com.
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