About Michael Meketi
The End of the Trail by Michael Meketi
The painting of the End of the Trail was put into print approximately 50 years ago. It is still being sold online today. We could not be more proud of our Dad.
Meketi Art Gallery - Aurora, Illinois
This page is dedicated to the memory of our Father, Michael Meketi. Michael, was an Engineer for the Burlington Railroad for over 30 years. One day on a normal run through Aurora, Illinois as an Engineer he saw a "for rent" sign for a small storefront in downtown Aurora on Lasalle Street. This is a photo of that very first Meketi Art Gallery. The gallery was moved twice, once to a store on Downer Place in Aurora and then the last location was the Meketi Gallery on Indian Trail in Aurora.
In the Beginning
Even as a child, my father was drawn to the newspaper cartoon section. He would cut out and save cartoons from the newspaper and learned on his own from the styles of artists like John T. McCutcheon (Chicago Tribune). He applied for a job at the Chicago Tribune in the 1940's as an editorial cartoonist. Unfotunately at that time the pay for a beginning editorial artist could not support a family. He became a fireman for the Burlington Railroad and later became an engineer. He remained in that position for over 30 years until he started Meketi Art Gallery in 1968. He did freelance editorial cartoons for the Aurora Beacon News in Aurora, IL. We still own the original editorial artwork from the 1940's of my Dad's and his acquaintances that are well known today, who did work at the time.
The Smell of Oil Paint and Turpentine
During an illness Michael was at home for a period of time. My Mother, God Bless her, needed to find something for my dad to do. She bought him his first set of oil paints. That was all it took, he was hooked, and then the painter was born. He was pretty much self taught with a few classes from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. His intial paintings were portraits but eventually his love of the Southwest came to the forefront. He did many commissioned works, but the majority of his oil paitings are of Cowboys, Wildlife and Native Americans. He not only painted those subjects, he studied the cultures and the territories. We were fortunate to travel to all of those places as children, and to learn about the differenct cultures and the history. It opened our eyes to people of all races, creeds and colors. For that we are forever grateful.
A Loss But Not Forgotten
Sadly, in February of 1987 we lost our Dad, a tremendous loss to our family. He was an outstanding father and grandfather. I can still hear his laughter. His smile and sense of humor are sorely missed. He was a kind and caring man with a voice that boomed when he spoke.
The loss is not just for our family, however, it is a loss to the art community. We are so happy that he is still being recognized. He would be amazed that 50 years after painting the End of the Trail, that his beautiful work is still talked about and sold. Our hope is that his work continues to touch and inspire people.
For further information please contact the family through this web-site.