OP_051619

OPPrairie.com life & arts
the orland park prairie | May 16, 2019 | 23
Ted Fuka’s local landscapes inspire at the library
Laurie Fanelli
Freelance Reporter
From the natural wonder
of Hickory Creek to the
iconic steeple of St. Mary’s
Church, Mokena-based 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
“Hideaway,” by Ted Fuka, is on display through the end
of May on the second floor of the Orland Park Public
Library.
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 more than a decade,
he has shared tips and
techniques with young artists
at Lincoln-Way Community
High School District
210’s ArtWorks event.
“I really enjoy ArtWorks,
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
Phyllis Miller, of Orland Park, says hello to Ted Fuka during the May 3 Meet the Artist
event at the Orland Park Public Library. Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
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.fukaillustra
tion.com/home.html. For
upcoming events at Orland
Park Public Library,visit
www.orlandparklibrary.org.