FF_091919

22 | September 19, 2019 | the frankfort station life & arts
frankfortstationdaily.com
Frankfort artists’ work featured at art fair
Submitted by Park Forest
Art Fair
Pictured is “Garden Queen,” a painting created by
Frankfort artist Margi Hafer, whose work will be
showcased at the Park Forest Art Fair the weekend of
Saturday, Sept. 21. Photos submitted
Boasting a rich history
and wealth of gifted artists,
along with status as
one of the Southland’s
most valued annual treasures,
the Park Forest Art
Fair, sponsored by Tall
Grass Arts Association, in
September celebrates its
64th year from 10 a.m.-5
p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21,
and Sunday, Sept. 22, in
downtown Park Forest on
the Village Green.
The artists hail from all
over the metropolitan area.
This year TGAA is pleased
to introduce 23 new artists,
as well as many returning
artists. One of the new artists
is Catherine Trezek of
Mokena. Certainly familiar
to south suburban art
lovers will be Frankfort
residents Margi Hafer,
Richard Schmidt and Mary
Ann Trzyna.
Catherine Trezek is an
oil painter. She studied at
the Art Institute of Chicago
and Oxbow School
of Art in Michigan. Trezek
says she tries to express
the relationship between
love and nature in her art.
Her technique includes
soft brush strokes and colors
of light to invoke the
feelings of love.
Hafer is a multi-media
artist currently working
predominantly in watercolor,
acrylics and mixed
media collage. She explains,
“I have always experimented
in new media
techniques, stretching my
experience as an artist. My
work often has a spiritual
quality that relates to my
inner feelings as a woman
with the roles of daughter,
sister, wife, mother of four
and grandmother of nine,
feeding my visions and energizing
my spirit.”
Schmidt has been exhibiting
in the Park Forest Art
Fair and Tall Grass Gallery
since 1990. He works in
oils and watercolors and
interprets the colors and
light using a wet on wet
technique and a modified
pointillism style. His
work is representational
with a slight impressionistic
edge.
Trzyna has been exhibiting
in the Park Forest Art
Fair for approximately 11
years. One of the first places
she publicly showed
her art was the Tall Grass
Arts Association Gallery.
Most of her current work
is landscape and still life
paintings in pastel or oil.
Her style is realistic and
one of her most recent
Tall Grass exhibit was an
exhibit of highly realistic
still lifes.
For four years in a row,
the Park Forest Art Fair has
won the national “America’s
Best Art Fair Awards”
competition sponsored by
ArtFairCalendar.com, the
No. 1 website for art fair
event listings. The survey
recognized Park Forest
Art Fair as one of the best
small, juried, fine art fairs
in the country.
“This is the second oldest
juried art fair in the
Chicagoland region and
it has maintained its quality
over the years,” event
Chairwoman Janet Muchnik
said.
Muchnik emphasized
Frankfort artist Richard Schmidt, who works with oils and watercolors, painted the
pictured image, “Pete’s Curiosity.” His work will also be on display at the Park Forest
Art Fair.
Frankfort artist Mary Ann Trzyna, whose work can be seen at the Park Forest Art Fair,
created this pastel image of a lake horizon.
the event always attracts
a variety of talents, some
new artists and many who
have exhibited continuously
for nearly four decades.
“Fair visitors have a tradition
here of talking with
the artists and in fact, the
artists expect people to
stop by and chat,” she said.
The eclectic nature of
the fair is quickly visible
to visitors who will
see ceramics, etchings,
sculpture, photographs,
paintings in many media,
digital art works, jewelry
featuring original elements
and hand-blown glass.
A special feature of the
fair is the Kids Art Alley,
which offers a range of
hands-on art activities to
delight the younger set, including
the almost legendary
Children’s Art Contest.
Food vendors will be
on site including Poppin’
Plates, Exquisite Pound
Cakes, Flaming Hotties,
Terrell’s BBQ and Southland
Caterers.
The acclaimed Tall
Grass Arts Association
Gallery, 367 Artists Walk
in Downtown, will be
open during the fair with a
traditional summer exhibit
of works by gallery artists.
More information is online
at tallgrassarts.org, on
the Tall Grass Facebook
page and by calling the
gallery, (708) 748-3377.