Original ARTWORKS on Yupo to Delight Your Heart
My artworks explore several aspects of the creative process. Be sure to check out the slideshow below with many examples of my process and creations. I find all of these practices healing and meditative and invite you to follow along on my website and Instagram at @martinasestakovaart.
My paintings in the “Visual Insights into Life’s Beauty” series explore how we celebrate life with our words. Literature inspires me: words build bridges between colors and shapes. The paintings are visual meditations on language connecting us to ourselves and others. I work on yupo, a non-absorbent medium. You may find me in a cold studio to extend the drying process or in my garden in sunlight watching water disappear before my eyes. These aspects of the process bring me back to the power of words: sometimes they note fleeting moments, other times they stick around for years. Shop the collection HERE.
In my “Embodiment” series, I focus on the body’s capacity to always reside in the present while our minds relive the past or imagine the future. There is energy in these paintings: layers, scrapes, twists and turns. Just like there is energy in our body’s sensations. It’s a chaotic process: many steps that can be easily erased as I work on a non-porous paper. But it’s also a truly exciting process and one of constant change as the only driving force is what my body’s messages are in the particular moment. Shop the collection HERE.
I also create the “Blooms” series. Flowers have been part of my life ever since I can remember. This collection celebrates my grandmother’s garden in Prague, Czech Republic. A place of color and joy and warmth. As an artist, I draw on my own life experiences and this garden is a symbol of hope and curiosity. It’s a place of rest in the midst of life’s ebbs and flows.
My paintings in the “Visual Insights into Life’s Beauty” series explore how we celebrate life with our words. Literature inspires me: words build bridges between colors and shapes. The paintings are visual meditations on language connecting us to ourselves and others. I work on yupo, a non-absorbent medium. You may find me in a cold studio to extend the drying process or in my garden in sunlight watching water disappear before my eyes. These aspects of the process bring me back to the power of words: sometimes they note fleeting moments, other times they stick around for years. Shop the collection HERE.
In my “Embodiment” series, I focus on the body’s capacity to always reside in the present while our minds relive the past or imagine the future. There is energy in these paintings: layers, scrapes, twists and turns. Just like there is energy in our body’s sensations. It’s a chaotic process: many steps that can be easily erased as I work on a non-porous paper. But it’s also a truly exciting process and one of constant change as the only driving force is what my body’s messages are in the particular moment. Shop the collection HERE.
I also create the “Blooms” series. Flowers have been part of my life ever since I can remember. This collection celebrates my grandmother’s garden in Prague, Czech Republic. A place of color and joy and warmth. As an artist, I draw on my own life experiences and this garden is a symbol of hope and curiosity. It’s a place of rest in the midst of life’s ebbs and flows.
Commissions
Do you have an idea for a unique painting? I would love to create a work of art you will love. Prices range from $65 (4 x 6") to $450 (30 x 20"). Contact me.
Bring My Artworks to Your Home
You are invited to shop my paintings at the locations below or on Instagram. Follow along for a daily color boost!
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Exhibitions and Happenings
Current Exhibitions
In-Person: Chroma Connections Group Show * Chesapeake Framing Co, Kensington, MD
In-Person: Abstract Paintings, Slow Down Market, Washington, DC May 2023-Present
In-Person: Sculpted Paintings, Olive & Loom, Kensington, MD Mar 2023-Present
In-Person: Abstract Painting, Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD 2022-Present
In-Person: Abstract Paintings, The Muse, Frederick, MD 2019-Present
In-Person: #ArtHappensHere AHCMC, National Capital Trolley Museum, Silver Spring, MD Jul 2021-Present
Online: Monthly Topic Montgomery Art Association, Ongoing 2022
Upcoming Exhibitions & Events
Dec 2-3: Juried Art and Craft Fair * Greenbelt, MD
Exhibitions Curated and Co-Curated
"Simplest Human Gestures Tell stories: Applequist and Wolpoff" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD 2023
"Portals & Passages by Lisa Battle" Studio Gallery, Washington, DC 2023
"Abstract Landscapes by Suzanne Goldberg" Studio Gallery, Washington, DC 2023
"Carte Blanche" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2023
"Carte Blanche" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2020
"Wesley Berg: The Infinity in the Intimate" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2020
"Charmed, I'm Sure" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2019
Features
Poetry & Artwork Feature, Issue 27, Radar Poetry, Oct 2023
"Joy-Filled Art Workshops in Retirement Communities" UPPERCASE Magazine, Sept 2023
"Meet Martina Sestakova" Bold Journey, Aug 2023
"Martina Sestakova" Studio K Collective, 2023
"Meet Martina Sestakova" CanvasRebel, Dec 2022
"Conversations with Martina Sestakova" Voyage Baltimore, Dec 2022
"Interview with Martina Sestakova" The Art Coaching Club Podcast, Oct 2022
"Featured Artist" DC Creators Network, Sep 2022
"Relief from the Heat" Montgomery Community Media, Aug 2022
Natur(ally), A Virtual Community Art Exhibition in Celebration of Earth Day, Apr 2022
Women's History Month: 5 Artists and 5 Questions, Montgomery Art Association, Mar 2022
Bringing Joy to Children Through Local Art Community, North Bethesda Neighbors Magazine, Mar 2022
Art Workshop, Art + Design & Craft Club, Feb 2022
Podcast, Environmental Professional's Radio, Jan 2022
Studio Visit (via Zoom), Silver Spring Town Center, Jan 2022 Zoom Passcode: E4.gD3B?)
The Joys of Watercolor, Washington Beacon Magazine, Dec 2021
Artist's Feature, Kensington Neighbors Magazine, Nov 2021
Nature's Gift to Artists, Plenty Magazine, Fall Issue, 2021
Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist Feature, Jan 2021
How Art Classes at Retirement Communities Connect Past and Present and Build Future, HealthCommU, Apr 2018
Awards
2nd Place MAA "Rhapsody of a Hug" Paint the Town Show, Kensington, MD 2022 Juror: Lenny Campello
3rd Place CHAL "Rupture" Online, Juror: Nan Raphael, 2022
Honorable Mention CHAL "Every Moment is Precious", Juror: Elin Whitney-Smith, 2021
3rd Place CHAL "The Bridges We've Built" Online, Juror: Jaime Sonnenberg, 2021
Honorable Mention CHAL "Laughing with Friends", Juror: Erik Ramsey, 2021
Winner #ArtHappensHere Mural/Banner Project AHCMC, Silver Spring, MD 2021
3rd Place “Creative Expressions 2019”, Chevy Chase, MD, Juror: Gaby Mizes, 2019
Grants
Arts & Humanities COVID-19 Relief Fund, Montgomery County Government, 2020 & 2021
Maryland State Arts Council Emergency Fund, State of Maryland, 2021
Affiliations
Ch/Art Chevy Chase Artists, Chevy Chase, MD
Montgomery Art Association (Social Media Committee Chair), Kensington, MD
Washington Water Color Association, Washington, DC
Online Artist Directories
Culture Spot MC
DC Creators Network
Fine Art America
Maryland State Arts Council, Artist Directory, Baltimore, MD
Now Be Here
VisArts Faculty/Artist Shop
Where Are the Women Artists
Past Exhibitions
In-Person: Chroma Connections Group Show * Chesapeake Framing Co, Kensington, MD
In-Person: Abstract Paintings, Slow Down Market, Washington, DC May 2023-Present
In-Person: Sculpted Paintings, Olive & Loom, Kensington, MD Mar 2023-Present
In-Person: Abstract Painting, Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD 2022-Present
In-Person: Abstract Paintings, The Muse, Frederick, MD 2019-Present
In-Person: #ArtHappensHere AHCMC, National Capital Trolley Museum, Silver Spring, MD Jul 2021-Present
Online: Monthly Topic Montgomery Art Association, Ongoing 2022
Upcoming Exhibitions & Events
Dec 2-3: Juried Art and Craft Fair * Greenbelt, MD
Exhibitions Curated and Co-Curated
"Simplest Human Gestures Tell stories: Applequist and Wolpoff" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD 2023
"Portals & Passages by Lisa Battle" Studio Gallery, Washington, DC 2023
"Abstract Landscapes by Suzanne Goldberg" Studio Gallery, Washington, DC 2023
"Carte Blanche" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2023
"Carte Blanche" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2020
"Wesley Berg: The Infinity in the Intimate" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2020
"Charmed, I'm Sure" Adah Rose Gallery, Kensington, MD, 2019
Features
Poetry & Artwork Feature, Issue 27, Radar Poetry, Oct 2023
"Joy-Filled Art Workshops in Retirement Communities" UPPERCASE Magazine, Sept 2023
"Meet Martina Sestakova" Bold Journey, Aug 2023
"Martina Sestakova" Studio K Collective, 2023
"Meet Martina Sestakova" CanvasRebel, Dec 2022
"Conversations with Martina Sestakova" Voyage Baltimore, Dec 2022
"Interview with Martina Sestakova" The Art Coaching Club Podcast, Oct 2022
"Featured Artist" DC Creators Network, Sep 2022
"Relief from the Heat" Montgomery Community Media, Aug 2022
Natur(ally), A Virtual Community Art Exhibition in Celebration of Earth Day, Apr 2022
Women's History Month: 5 Artists and 5 Questions, Montgomery Art Association, Mar 2022
Bringing Joy to Children Through Local Art Community, North Bethesda Neighbors Magazine, Mar 2022
Art Workshop, Art + Design & Craft Club, Feb 2022
Podcast, Environmental Professional's Radio, Jan 2022
Studio Visit (via Zoom), Silver Spring Town Center, Jan 2022 Zoom Passcode: E4.gD3B?)
The Joys of Watercolor, Washington Beacon Magazine, Dec 2021
Artist's Feature, Kensington Neighbors Magazine, Nov 2021
Nature's Gift to Artists, Plenty Magazine, Fall Issue, 2021
Capitol Hill Art League’s Mind of the Artist Feature, Jan 2021
How Art Classes at Retirement Communities Connect Past and Present and Build Future, HealthCommU, Apr 2018
Awards
2nd Place MAA "Rhapsody of a Hug" Paint the Town Show, Kensington, MD 2022 Juror: Lenny Campello
3rd Place CHAL "Rupture" Online, Juror: Nan Raphael, 2022
Honorable Mention CHAL "Every Moment is Precious", Juror: Elin Whitney-Smith, 2021
3rd Place CHAL "The Bridges We've Built" Online, Juror: Jaime Sonnenberg, 2021
Honorable Mention CHAL "Laughing with Friends", Juror: Erik Ramsey, 2021
Winner #ArtHappensHere Mural/Banner Project AHCMC, Silver Spring, MD 2021
3rd Place “Creative Expressions 2019”, Chevy Chase, MD, Juror: Gaby Mizes, 2019
Grants
Arts & Humanities COVID-19 Relief Fund, Montgomery County Government, 2020 & 2021
Maryland State Arts Council Emergency Fund, State of Maryland, 2021
Affiliations
Ch/Art Chevy Chase Artists, Chevy Chase, MD
Montgomery Art Association (Social Media Committee Chair), Kensington, MD
Washington Water Color Association, Washington, DC
Online Artist Directories
Culture Spot MC
DC Creators Network
Fine Art America
Maryland State Arts Council, Artist Directory, Baltimore, MD
Now Be Here
VisArts Faculty/Artist Shop
Where Are the Women Artists
Past Exhibitions