20 East Main Street, Lake Zurich, IL 60047  * (847) 550-0016
e-mail: artists@mainstreetartcenter.com

The Mainstreet Art Center is a school of fine art offering classes in drawing and painting for artists of all ages and levels of experience. Open since 1994, Mainstreet attracts students from all over the Chicago area, northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Our professional staff of instructors have careers as artists, exhibit in galleries throughout the country, teach workshops and appear in artists publications.

• Drawing & Oil Painting
• Pastels & Watercolor
• Portrait Painting
• Open Studio
• Workshops & Demos
• Frames & Art Supplies

Upcoming Events

Spring Watercolor Show

The Lakes Region Watercolor Guild will be presenting their Spring show at the Mainstreet Gallery in April.

A Gallery Opening and Reception will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2025, from 12:30 pm to 5:00 pm. Come and enjoy this collection of fine regional artwork and meet the artists!

Upcoming Workshops

2025 Workshops with Visiting Artists:

Dan Beck
Figure and Still Life, March 7, 8 & 9, 2025

Stan Miller
Painting the Portrait and Landscape, April 4, 5 & 6, 2025

Neal Hughes
Plein Air Painting, June 26, 27 & 28, 2025

Marc Anderson
Painting Beautiful Landscapes on Location, September 5, 6 & 7, 2025

Aline Ordman
Creating Dynamic Pastels: Using Abstract Thinking to Create Illustrative Paintings, September 19, 20 & 21, 2025

2024/2025 Workshops with Mainstreet Staff Artists:

Susan Ploughe
Water Ways, March 21, 22 & 23, 2025

Barb Benstein
Portrait Painting: Portrait Steps, March 28, 29 & 30, 2025

Frankie Johnson
Brush Strokes & Palette Knife Techniques, April 11, 12 & 13, 2025

Frankie Johnson
Watercolor & Pastel: A Match Made in Heaven, May 17 & 18, 2025

Click "Workshops" for full list of scheduled workshops.

Upcoming Mini Workshops

Barb Benstein
Portrait Steps
March 28, 29 & 30, 2025

Cheryl Cook
Figure Drawing
March 1 & 2, 2025

Susan Ploughe
Art and Your iPad
October 31 &
November 1, 2024

Susan Ploughe
Getting Started with Gouache
February 28, 2025

Susan Ploughe
Background Check
April 4, 2025