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Local artists do what comes natural
Pastels by Tatijana Jacenkiw of Glenview will be on display at the Chicago Botanic Garden Art Festival.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Art Festival
1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 6-8 on the Esplanade
Botanic Garden members are invited to an exclusive preview from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 5. Admission to the festival is free; parking is $20 per car
(847) 835-5440 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org
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Updated: July 4, 2012 4:50PM
Natural splendor is on display 24/7 at the Chicago Botanic Garden, but there will be beauty of another sort, as a bonus, when the CBG Art Festival returns this weekend.
Ninety artists from around
the country, in categories including painting, photography, jewelry
and 3-D functional art (pottery, hand-crafted furniture and
fashion), will offer original works for sale July 6 through 8 in the juried fest. All the art on display will be botanic-oriented, either in theme, material (anything from dried flowers to earth materials such as stone or gems) or use (think garden furniture or sculpture).
“It’s the botanic tie-in that makes this show unique,” said festival creator Amy Amdur, who launched it nearly 10 years ago, then returned last summer after a break with a fest that broke Botanic Garden attendance records. “All of the artists in this show are amazing, but excellence isn’t enough to get you into this show. Your work has to be botanical in nature, one way or another.
Beautiful setting
“I don’t know of any other festival like it in the country. And it’s so appropriate in this setting, because it gives people the chance to appreciate the natural beauty represented by the Botanic Garden.”
Many exhibitors travel considerable distances to take part in this show, but the Chicago area is well-represented, including two artists from the North Shore.
Self-taught artist Mickey Mayla of Northbrook spent his childhood in Mexico and discovered his love for working with stone very early in life. After developing his skills as an amateur, Mayla turned professional eight years ago and began to sell his sculptures and stoneware bowls, lamps, platters and boxes fashioned from onyx, marble and travertine — while maintaining the same passion for his art.
“It’s always fascinating because you don’t know what you’re going to get when you begin,” he said. “Stone has its own personality, so you have to study it and pay attention to what it’s offering while you create. You only get one shot at it when you’re working with stone, if you misread the signs and hit it in the wrong place, it’s all over.”
For more on Mickey Mayla, visit his website at www.munamie.com.
Pastel artist Tatijana Jacenkiw of Glenview fell in love with painting as a young girl, but set it aside while focusing on her career in architecture and on raising her family. After beginning to paint again in 2005, she rediscovered the subtle pleasure of establishing an emotional connection with her work, in order to convey the essence of a subject and tell its story with the perfect combination of color, light and mood.
Pastel master
Recently, she was invited by the International Association of Pastel Societies to join their Masters Circle.
“I paint everything, landscapes, flowers, still lifes, animals, but I especially love painting people,” said Jacenkiw, who has made a special study of elderly Ukrainians in her parents’ homeland. “For this show though, because of its natural theme, I’ll be bringing flowers and landscapes, that sort of thing, as well as some birds. I think those are especially appropriate for the Botanic Garden. I’ve even painted swans and ducks from photos I made there in the past.”
For more on Tatijana Jacenkiw, visit her website at www.tatijana-jacenkiw.com.
Wilmette artist Kathy Saitelbach will offer her jewelry again this year at the festival. Often, her pieces start with agate, which she carves into leaf-like shapes. Then she uses precious metals and stones to embellish them. She likes to think of the pieces as miniature sculptures.
And because Saitelbach values versatility, the pendants she makes can also double as pins.
