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26 | May 16, 2019 | the mokena messenger life & arts mokenamessenger.com Ted Fuka inspires with local landscapes at Meet the Artist event Laurie Fanelli Freelance Reporter From the natural wonder of Hickory Creek to the iconic steeple of St. Mary’s Church, Mokenabased artist Ted Fuka finds inspiration in the heart of his community. He bathes his local landscapes in light beaming from the sun, moon or in reflections bouncing off blankets of snow found in his favorite artistic season: winter. Fuka shared how he enjoys exploring his own backyard with his pastel paintings during the May 3 edition of Orland Park Public Library’s Meet the Artist series. “Mokena is great,” Fuka said. “This whole area is great. I always enjoy venturing out into rural areas, the woods, the forest preserve. I really enjoy that. There’s an infinite amount of reference in there. You can walk in there every day and it’s a different place. It all depends on the weather.” Fuka takes “time to notice what presents itself” as he drives to his job as a commercial artist, walks around his neighborhood or hikes in the woods. One of his pieces, called “Schoolhouse Road,” depicts the magic of a foggy day. “I was on my way to my studio one morning, and I had to capture the fog that was just so dense,” Fuka said. “It was incredible. If you were there on a clear day you’d see so many more things. The feeling was great. It was a challenge, too.” “Hideaway,” which makes viewers want to reach out and pet the curled-up young fawn that is the painting’s subject, originated simply by Fuka looking out his window. “This one of the fawn over here was right beside my home,” Fuka explained. “We saw her from our window ,so I went out there and went crazy taking photographs. This was the result of that.” Fuka is inspired by Mokena and — along with beautifully capturing local scenes — he gives back by participating in community events. For over a decade, he has shared tips and techniques with young artists at Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210’s annual ArtWorks event. “I really enjoy Art- Works, especially because of all the like-mindedness that’s there,” Fuka said. “It’s hard to find that in one spot. And with all the kids’ work — they bring their parents and grandparents — it’s a really nice place to be.” The medium of pastel also is a source of inspiration for Fuka. “The medium is immediate,” Fuka said. “That’s the one thing that I really enjoy. I don’t have to wait for it to dry. I can just go ahead and work with it in a different variety of ways — the different papers I use get different effects — and the subjects are close to my heart. “I belong to Chicago Pastel Painters, and one of the points they really try to get across is that pastel is a viable medium. You think of fine art and you think of oil paint, watercolor and all those, but pastel is just as important. It’s an important medium; there’s no doubt about it, and it’s fun to work with. It’s amazing what you can do with it.” Orland Park Public Library Outreach Department Assistant Cathy Di Giorgio explained that Fuka’s exhibit is perfect for the month of May. “He’s got some really awesome stuff,” Di Giorgio said. “We like his colors — look at how great his colors are — and it’s so nice for this time of year. It’s a transition period from winter to spring, so we like how he brought in some pieces with flowers and the water scene with the ducks. He does some beautiful pastels. We’re really happy to have his work here through the end of the month.” Along with Fuka’s work — on display on the second floor throughout May — the library is featuring upcycled art with a purpose in its two first-floor displays. Gina Sabo’s purses made from books can be found in the small display case, and the large case if full of string instruments created by Rick Wasserman from old cigar boxes. For more information about the work of Ted Fuka, visit pastels.fukail lustration.com/home.html. “Minus 18” features Ted Fuka’s vision of Yunker Farm in Mokena on a sub-zero winter day. Pastel painter Ted Fuka, of Mokena, shows off his work at the Orland Park Public Library. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
mokenamessenger.com dining out the mokena messenger | May 16, 2019 | 27 The Dish The Irish Patriot: a taste of Ireland in Orland Park Alex Ivanisevic Assistant Editor Rather than travel the 3,600 miles across the Atlantic, one needs only to head to the Historic District of Orland Park to get a taste of Ireland at The Irish Patriot. Owners Vincent and Fiona Tuohy came to America from Ireland roughly 10 years ago and purchased the building at 9875 W. 143rd St. in 2010. Today, they are serving classic Irish and American food to locals in a traditional pub atmosphere. “It’s a historical building here; it is the first brick building ever built here in Orland Park,” Vincent said. “When we bought it, it was crumbling down and the roof was caving in and the walls were falling down. It was a little piece of history falling apart. We’ve left this place in good shape for another 100 years, I hope.” After two years of remodeling and much-needed repairs, The Irish Patriot opened in March of 2012. “We tried to use the classical Irish pub look, like you’d see in small villages in Dublin,” he said. At the center of the dining room is a large, stone fireplace. “Wouldn’t be an Irish pub without one,” Vincent said. The pub is open from 11-2 a.m. Sunday through Saturday, and serves “a pretty extensive menu of American and Irish fare,” Vincent said. “Since we opened in 2012, our three top sellers are our fish and chips ($14). They’re really famous here. We use North Atlantic cod, and we make our own batter with a One of the Top 3 items on The Irish Patriot’s menu is its Kinsale Fish & Chips ($14), made with North Atlantic cod. Photos by Alex Ivanisevic/22nd Century Media secret ingredient, and then our burger ($12) is hugely popular as well as our Reuben ($13). They’re always in our Top 3.” Also on the menu are traditional Irish dishes, such as corned beef and shepherd’s pie, among other options. In addition to serving guests at the hardwood bar in the pub section and in the dining room throughout the week, The Irish Patriot allows its dining area to be booked for parties. Vincent said the restaurant sees a lot of wedding parties, communion and confirmation parties, “as we’re quite close to St. Michael’s Catholic Church here. ...We got a church down the street and a funeral home across the street, so we do some funeral work, too.” The Tuohys also own The Irish Legend in Willow Springs and the Burbank Pub in its namesake town. They take pride in the connection they have made to the communities around The Irish Patriot Pub 9875 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park Hours • 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily For more information ... www.theirishpatriot. com their pubs. “We see a lot of regulars here,” Vincent said. “We are classically a neighborhood bar. It is something like ‘Cheers’ with the characters that are in here.” Fiona said the time commitment to running the pub is “completely 24/7,” and she also remarked on the regulars they see come to The Irish Patriot. “I love it, because we get to know so many people here, and I call them regulars but they are actually friends,” she said. Similar to the way Vincent described their “neighborhood-bar vibe,” Fiona said, “There’s a lot of people who came here on their own and just became best friends.” The Irish Patriot owner Vincent Tuohy was sure to include a fireplace in the pub, something he says no pub is complete without. She said she appreciates how friendly and outgoing people are, and it creates a “family atmosphere, which is really nice.” There are a few special events The Irish Patriot enjoys celebrating with its guests — one of them being St. Patrick’s Day. “We have a very special party here for St. Patrick’s Day,” Vincent said. “It’s basically a week here. The weekend before [the holiday], we have a trolley bus and work with all the fellow pubs in the area and have a trolley bus crawl, and then I fly in musicians from Ireland every year for the holiday, and they stay a few days. We have a lot of fun.” Vincent said they are looking forward to opening the pub’s patio for the summer, which he said can get crowded in those months but provides a fun atmosphere for patrons. “You got to love this business,” Vincent said. “It’s the long days I don’t love; they’re a bit daunting. But I love the people, and every day is different. When people are in a pub, you know they’re relaxing. You’re getting people at their best who are coming here to enjoy themselves.”
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