John Chehak Contemporary Acrylic Artist by John Chehak

JOHN CHEHAK
Contemporary Acrylic Artist
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA 52403
vizion@aol.com
http://www.easelwork.com

I was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a child I enjoyed drawing and painting, but art was just something nice to look at. I took for granted that anyone could paint or draw, and it was just a casual hobby for me. I graduated from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy in 1973 and began practicing retail pharmacy. By the time I was in my late forties I began to feel an urge to explore my long dormant artistic abilities. My medium of choice was, and still is, undiluted acrylic paint on paper and canvas. As I started to collect a rather large portfolio of artwork, I needed to figure out how to promote and eventually sell my paintings. I decided to apply to several regional art fairs. Besides paying the substantial fees for juried events, I needed to purchase a decent quality tent, add some amenities to it like a comfortable flooring, a decorative rug, lighting to highlight the work, and good quality display panels for hanging my art. Other expenses included reserving hotels, food, and gas purchases, securing programs that allowed me to accept credit cards on my phone, and whether to purchase a van or rent one for transportation. I needed to standardize a mat and framing plan for my paintings and finally, price my work. As of this writing I have participated in more than seventy-five juried art shows, and I have sold more than six hundred original paintings. My average sale price is just under five hundred dollars.
My 'Urban Crowding' was selected as a Showcase Winner in an online competition. I was featured on the University of Iowa’s website the Daily Palette. In 2002 I was chosen to display my artwork in the Iowa Governor’s Mansion. One of my early ‘Rooftops' paintings was selected as the January 2010 cover photo for JMCP magazine. Ironically, JMCP is a magazine for pharmacists.

According to Sheila Macho, Cover Editor for JMCP magazine, 'Chehak's Rooftops painting bears a slight resemblance to a Georges Braque Cubist landscape. Cubism was an early 20th century avant-garde art movement pioneered by Braque and Pablo Picasso that revolutionized European painting and sculpture. The scene, reminiscent of an Italian village, appears to be impossibly crowded, yet believable at the same time. Perhaps the composition is a metaphor for urban overcrowding. Or it could represent the artist's state of mind -- his attempt to convey all the feelings that he was experiencing at the time.’

Additionally, in 2015 one of my Iowa landscapes was chosen as banner art for the MFA Creative Writing Program at Iowa State University in Ames, IA.; and early in 2016, I finished a successful one-man show at The Biomedical Research Facility at the University of Iowa Medical Campus in Iowa City, IA. In 2018 I was honored to be chosen as the Commemorative Print Artist for the 25th Annual St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton Mo. And in 2020 I was selected as the poster artist for the well-known 57th Street Art Fair, in Chicago, Illinois.
I was once described on the Des Moines based Kavanaugh Gallery's website: 'His muted colors and distinct choice of subject matter have attracted collectors throughout the nation. Many of Chehak's paintings emerge directly from his imagination.' My subjects have included urban scenes in New York, Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans, but I still prefer the sedate, yet captivating, landscapes of the Midwest. In recent years, my work has taken on new and unique personalities with more vibrant colors, symmetry, and compelling presentation. I now have patrons in more than 40 states.

A few years ago, an online reviewer wrote, “Native Iowan John Chehak is a masterful draftsman and painter…His wide expanse of expertise and style make his artwork a treat to explore.” Regardless of description, I still strive to create original work in style, color, and subject matter. For the past fourteen years my wife and I have participated in exclusive juried art fairs in Chicago, Marion, Evanston, Minneapolis, Edina, Omaha, Hinsdale, Elmhurst, Winnetka, Geneva, Wheaton, Oconomowoc, St. Charles, Peoria, Northbrook, St. Louis, and Madison.