The Mainstreet Staff
Frankie Johnson, Director | |
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Frankie Johnson is an accomplished artist with over
40 years of
experience in painting with oils, pastels and watercolor. Frankie has taught drawing, oil and pastel painting at The Studio In
The Woods (Wauconda, Illinois), The Studio of Long Grove and
the Mainstreet Art Centre. In 1994 she opened the Mainstreet Art
Centre and has assembled a talented
staff of instructors over the years. She conducts
workshops in portrait and landscape painting at various locations such
as The Clearing in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, Dillmans in Lac Du Flambeau,
Wisconsin and the Mainstreet Art Centre. She studied art and design at the Art Institute of Chicago and William Harper College. Through her long association with the Palette & Chisel Academy of Fine Art in Chicago, she has studied with distinguished artists such as Richard Schmid, David Leffel, Ted Goerschner, Ted Smuskiewicz, Clyde Aspevig and Scott Burdick. Frankie has participated in many juried exhibitions and plein air painting competitions and won numerous awards for her paintings through the years. Her work has appeared in shows and galleries all over the United States. She is currently represented by the Fine Line Designs Gallery in Ephraim, Wisconsin. and Castle Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Frankie's paintings, including numerous portrait commissions, hang in corporate and private collections throughout the country. Visit her website to learn more and see her artwork: www.frankiejohnsonartstudio.com
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The Teachers
in alphabetical order:
Barb Benstein | |||||||
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Barb Benstein’s love of art started at an early age. Mostly self-taught, she specializes in detailed pastel paintings of people and pets, as well as homes and landscapes. After working as a graphic artist for 10 years, Barb began painting full-time in 1993. Painting with pastels has always been her favorite medium. She loves the vibrancy of the colors and the richness of the texture when applied to sand paper. Barb has won many awards. Her commissioned paintings hang in Germany, Japan and Canada as well as throughout the United States.
Visit her website: www.artworkbybarb.com |
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Cheryl Cook | |||||||
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"Cookie" can't remember when she was not drawing or painting. Directly out of college she began her career working for Hallmark in Kansas City designing, illustrating and sculpting. After moving to Chicago she worked for ad agencies and packaging companies as well as drawing courtroom sketches for the Chicago Tribune and now CBS. Cookie loves working with fellow artists to share the lessons learned by a lifetime of study. Continually inspired by other artists makes teaching exciting and an on going learning experience for both student and teacher.
Visit her website: www.cherylcookartist.com |
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Jan Oswald | |||||||
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Jan Oswald majored in art and early childcare education. She taught art and music at the YMCA in Highland Park and has been teaching pre-school for over 25 years. Pursuing her love of oil painting has become a major focus in recent years. She works regularly in her own home studio, where many paintings are waiting their final touch. Jan has been teaching drawing and painting to children at Mainstreet Art Center for several years. | ||||||
Susan Ploughe | |||||||
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Susan Ploughe is an award-winning painter and enthusiastic
instructor who loves helping people to develop their skills. Her
work has been juried into many national exhibitions, and she has
earned Signature Status in both the American Impressionist Society
and Oil Painters of America. Susan's paintings and commissioned
portraits are in private and corporate collections and her artwork
has been featured in national art magazines. Visit her website: www.susanploughe.com |
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