Sandy Makokis - Pencil Artist

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Canadian Artist Sandy Makokis

Lance's Train - by Sandy Makokis - Canadian Artist

Artwork by Alberta Artist Sandy Makokis

Biography

I grew up on the outskirts of a small town in Ontario. Across the road was a large old cemetery. Without any close neighbours, my younger brother was my playmate, the surrounding woods and cemetery were our playgrounds. It wasn't until school, that I started to realize that other kids were afraid to visit me because of the cemetery.

I was exposed to art at an early age. My artistic mother had an easel in the corner of the dining room where she painted with oils and sketched between working and raising a family. I used crayon, pencils, pencil crayons and chalk, sometimes doing illustrations on the blackboard for the teachers in elementary school.

Blessed with a natural talent, I won my first art competition in grade 6, in a province wide Halloween-theme art contest. I competed in the art exhibits during the annual town fair as a teenager, during the '70's, pulling in 1st and 2nd ribbons. Living in a small town, art was not considered anything more than a hobby, although I was encouraged and supported by my high school art teacher, Mr. Campbell-Rogers.

I married young, drawing, painting and sculpting on the side. In 1980 and three children later, I was divorced, on my own, living in Calgary, Alberta, and working full time. I took some night courses in art and drafting and studied the History of Art at ACA. I found that working full time to support my children, study and take night courses and try to find time for drawing too much so after completing the courses, I focused on my family and painted when I could.

I joined the North Mount Pleasant Art Group in 1989, finding the weekly dose of artist company helpful to keep me painting and drawing. As a group we put on several shows and sale events at the Crescent Heights Community Centre. I had spent a week at the Franciscan Retreat near Cochrane, Alberta. This was the first time I was alone with my art. I spent the time drawing, meditating and walking in the surrounding woodlands. In July, 1999, I drove to Atlin, B.C., for a month at the Atlin Art Centre. The teacher, Gernot Dick, is an inspiring, energetic man who helped to rip me away from some of my limiting beliefs, and pump up the creative energy.

Working in pencil, I capture the colour and details to show the mood of the moment suspended in the fraction of time when the image occurred. Many of my prints are in private collections across Canada, USA, and some in Japan and Taiwan.

I love working with oils, acrylic and pastels, and sometimes combining the media for special effects. I found that photography is a fast fix for me to freeze the subjects that I want to paint. I sometimes refer to several photos to get the big picture. Camping, working and playing are all a part of my sources.

You can also contact Sandy Makokis directly through email.

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Old Shepherder - By Canadian Artist Sandy Makokis

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Coyote Bones - By Canadian Artist Sandy Makokis

Click on a picture for a larger image and ordering information

Sandy Makokis Studios
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Phone: (403) 208-0675
E-mail: smmakokis@yahoo.ca

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