AMak Color

Coming up: a painting class at Sacred Art on July 23rd!

Occasionally I teach a painting class (because it is fun! And different) - and during the summers have been doing an anuual workshop at Sacred Art Store (In Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago).

The next painting workshop is coming up on Saturday, July 23rd - so sign up already before it sells out, like it did last year!

Here's the scoop:

Price: $40 (all materials included). Date/time: Saturday, July 23rd 1:00 - 3:30 pm. Location: Sacred Art Store, 4619 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago IL 60625 To sign up: call Sacred Art at 773-728-2803, or email them at sacredartstore@gmail.com.

In this one-time workshop, you will artistically interpret a photo by creating your very own acrylic on canvas painting. Last year, The Sacred Art Anastasia Mak workshop group created their own beautiful and colorful paintings of a Tuscan landscape. This year, we are feeling a little tropical. Perhaps it is the longing for summer that has taken its sweet time to finally arrive to Chicago! So we will be painting a palm tree (or a group of palms, if you so choose).

The focus of this workshop will be to explore and enjoy defining a variety of textures and shapes that the palm tree holds, with your brush! You will be given step-by-step instructions and follow the artist as she paints on canvas in front of you while explaining her techniques.  Don't know how to paint? Have no fear, this class is designed to unlock the creative talent of people with ALL skill levels! You will walk away understanding how acrylic painting is constructed, what techniques are used to make the colors "pop", and take home your very own creation! 

Fall time!!!! But where did the summer go?

Wow, this summer has been INCREDIBLY busy - as you can note by my lack of recent blog posts. I have been painting, painting, painting, working on commissions, setting up and breaking down festivals, and taking short occasional breaks to enjoy the summer air and jogs at our neighborhood beach. But, where has the summer gone? Chicago gives us a very abrupt start to fall weather, with sudden cold temps and cloudy skies.

In July, Kurt and I managed to take a small break and traveled to Estes Park, CO for 4 days of gorgeous Rocky Mountain hiking. A pictorial summary will be posted here (this fall!) but for now - this photo is one of my faves from the trip. Elk with a gorgeous backdrop (at about 12,000 feet).

For most of September, I have been working hard to stock Chicago's Arts and Artisans stores with many small Chicago-themed original paintings. If you are ever in downtown, or planning to visit - stop in one of their several locations along Michigan Ave.

The fist weekend of October usually marks the end of my outdoor art festival season - with a trip to Louisville do a 3-day St James Court Art Festival. This year is no exception - if you live in Louisville, come say hi to me in the 1300 South Third Street Section, on October 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I look forward to hearing some Southern accents - it's been a few months!

And later in October, once the outdoor tent is packed away, and the art boxes are stored until the Holiday season starts - it will be time for a REAL vacation - and this year, we are headed to Turkey! It is very close to my home country - Ukraine - but I have never been there before, and can not wait to soak in the views, the mosques, the Mediterranean - and find more inspiration for future paintings.

Can I have your vote, please? + unique event on July 27th!

Check this out:

Anastasia Mak Art has been selected for the 2010 North American MySoiree.net Art Tour – a touring U.S. art contest coming to Chicago on July 27th at 8pm at Reggies Rock Club (pictured above), 2109 South State St. That night, I will be presenting my artwork on stage with several other Chicago visual artists, and one of us is going to be voted to represent Chicago in a show in Las Vegas.

The show is hosted by Lyn Williams, with music by DJ Lamont Young. It should be a fun and unique evening! I would love for you to come out, enjoy the event, and show your support!

Here is a link to tickets: http://Mysoireechicago.eventbrite.com. Use “MAK” as a code to get special free tickets, but print them out early as they are limited.

Unable to make it on July 27th, or don’t live in Chicago?

Please take a minute of your time to vote for my art online!

All you have to do is login on MySoiree.net; https://www.mysoiree.net/registration.php?utype=fan, ...then vote on the event page: http://www.mysoiree.net/contests.php by clicking on my profile image and selecting stars at the bottom. If enough voters give me five starts, Anastasia Mak Art just might win this thing. Thank you in advance for your support!