OP_111518

opprairie.com life & arts
the orland park prairie | November 15, 2018 | 21
Capturing the world — and
the attention of Orland Park
Orland Park to welcome
season with Holiday
Festival & Tree Lighting
Outdoor festivities return to the
Village Center
Photography on display
at Orland Park Public
Library throughout
November
Jesse Wright, Freelance Reporter
Marian Kraus was born in
Czechoslovakia and grew up in
Germany. And it was there, as
a teenager, he fell in love with
photography through the lens of
a Pentax 35mm.
It was a common enough
hobby with a common enough
camera. But since then, Kraus
has traveled the world, and for
the last 20 years he has made a
living — and a name for himself
— as a professional photographer,
specializing in architecture
and design photography.
Now, his photos have landed
him in Orland Park, with his
first show at the Orland Park
Public Library. Through the end
of November, Kraus’ photos are
lining the second-story walls,
blown up to several feet in size,
taking up most of the wall and
arresting the attention of passersby.
Kraus lives is Naperville,
and library department assistant
Duke Phelps said staff discovered
Kraus’ work through his
website. Phelps said the library
regularly hosts artists and uses
the second-story wall as a gallery
of sorts.
“We liked the way he photographed
the natural landscapes
and the environment,” Phelps
said. “The way he photographs
nature is similar to the way he
photographs the manmade work,
and we appreciated that. So, we
liked his photography, and he
agreed to show with us.”
Kraus focuses on texture and
light, so whether the subject is
Orland Park resident Laureen Lesiak (left) speaks with photographer Marian Kraus Nov. 2 during a
Meet the Artist event at the Orland Park Public Library. Jesse Wright/22nd Century Media
iron and concrete, or sand and
bark, his work has a through
line that illustrates how close to
nature the built-up world really
is. Yet, even though his photos
are blown up to nearly half the
size of the viewer, they are of the
minute and vanishing. Whether
the subject is a brief ray of lateday
sun or the white edge of a
sand dune before dawn burns
away the frosty rim, these are
images easily ignored in life but
captured here for posterity.
On Nov. 2, the artist was on
hand to meet with the public.
“I feel very lucky to have an
opportunity to show my work
here,” he said.
Professionally, Kraus shoots
mostly for hotels and hospitality
firms, but he said he tries to
bring the same aesthetic sensibilities
to those subjects as he
would a sand dune or tree in a
forest.
“To me, I try to bring the fine
art aspect into the commercial
work,” Kraus said. “I combine
both. It’s about expressing the
energy of the subject matter and
the confluence of shape, form,
light, shadow, geometric shapes,
and to see how they come together.”
With his photography, Kraus
has traveled to New Zealand,
Australia, India, Costa Rica,
throughout North America and
in Europe, and the artist said he
is not done traveling just yet.
“It’s a long, long list [of places
I’d like to go] — a very long
list,” he said. “In the immediate
future, I would love to go back
to Australia and New Zealand.
Those were two very, very magnificent
places. My wife is from
Mexico, and Mexico, in and of
itself, has a lot of beauty. I have
not had a chance to explore it,
other than the Mexico City region.
South Africa is on my list.
Russia is on my list. I would
love to go back to India; that’s a
fascinating country.”
But he also is happy in the
Chicago area.
“I’ve been living here longer
than I’ve been living in Europe,”
he said. “And I am a U.S. citizen,
too.”
One Orland Park woman,
Laureen Lesiak, said she is happy
he is here.
Lesiak stopped by the library
to pick up some Norman Vincent
Peale books and realized
there was an artist showing that
evening. She ended up being so
taken with Kraus’ work that she
stayed to meet the man.
Lesiak encouraged others in
the community to come out to
see the photos.
“I would say to stop by, because
these picture are like
you’re standing right there,” she
said.
The Orland Park Public Library
is located at 14921 S. Ravinia
Ave. For hours and more
information, visit orlandparkli
brary.org.
To get a taste of Kraus’ work,
visit www.mariankrausphotog
raphy.com.
Submitted by Village of Orland Park
The Village of Orland Park officially welcomes
the holiday season each year on the
Sunday after Thanksgiving. The community’s
annual holiday festival and tree lighting
ceremony will be held this year on Sunday,
Nov. 25.
The holiday market with food, crafts and
holiday items opens at 3:30 p.m. outside at
the Orland Park Village Center, 14700 S.
Ravinia Ave.
The festivities are to begin with the tree
lighting outside of the Village Hall at 4:30
p.m. Once the tree and displays are lit, the
holiday festival will continue inside and outside
until 7:30 p.m.
The event features the Sandburg High
School Chamber Choir, the Jerling Jr. High
School Choir, the Orland Park Comedy Improv
Team, the Village’s Junior and Senior
Dance Companies, Orland Park Library
Story Telling and “Beyond the Nutcracker”
performance by Ballet 5:8.
Attendees also will enjoy visits with
Santa, sleigh rides, seeing live reindeer, kiddie
car train rides for $1 per child per ride,
make-and-take crafts and more.
Scout troops, churches, athletic organizations,
youth groups and local clubs are invited
to adopt community trees to decorate
on the Village green. A limited number of
trees are available, and there is no cost to
participate.
Trees will be assigned on a first come, first
served basis, and are approximately 5 feet
tall and will include lights and a sign with
the organization’s name.
Participating groups must provide the
decorations, handmade or store-bought.
Organizations are asked to have their trees
decorated by Nov. 25, in time for the holiday
festival.
Vendor spots remain available for the holiday
market, with a variety of sellers welcomed,
including ready-to-eat food, crafts,
jewelry and holiday decor. Interested vendors
may contact Doreen Biela at dbiela@
orlandpark.org or call (708) 403-6266.
For more information about Orland Park’s
holiday festival is available by calling the
Village’s Recreation Department at (708)
403-7275.