Three paintings from my Healing Garden series have found a beautiful new home in California. One of the pieces was created as a commission, while the other two were selected from my online collection. It was such a joy to connect with the collector throughout the process and to see how these paintings now bring color, calm, and meaning to her living space. Moments like these remind me how art continues its journey long after it leaves my studio, becoming part of someone else's daily life. Thank you for welcoming my art into your home. See more Healing Garden artworks HERE. 

You are invited to join public art workshops at Washington Metro Oasis in Bethesda, Md. Call or email Oasis to register: 240-800-3745 or [email protected]. My new newsletter - Your RADOST News - which comes out on the 1st of each month will have links to registration once they become available. 

Oasis is located at Macy’s Home Store (2nd floor), 7125 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817 and is open Monday-Thursday (10am-4pm). 

A few years ago, I gifted this 4x6" original acrylic ink on Yupo to a dear friend. She just recently sent this lovely photo: my artwork got a new home in this beautiful golden frame! I am delighted. @radostbymartinasestakova

One of the greatest joys of being an artist is creating work that becomes deeply meaningful to someone else. I had the pleasure of working with a collector in California on a custom painting for my Healing Garden series, and the experience was memorable from beginning to end. From our first conversation, the process felt warm, collaborative, and inspiring. We exchanged ideas, discussed colors and emotions, and explored what she hoped the painting would bring to her home. I always enjoy commissions because they invite me into another person's life, but this project felt especially personal.

My collector shared an inspiration photograph of a rose from her grandfather's garden. As soon as I saw it, I felt an immediate connection. I grew up surrounded by gardens, and my own grandmother grew beautiful roses. Some of my happiest childhood memories are tied to flowers, colors, and the quiet beauty of nature. Knowing that this rose carried family memories for my collector added a layer of meaning to the creative process. In a way, the painting became a bridge between generations, honoring both her family history and my own memories.

I have a sewing studio in my home in Kensington, MD. And I am fortunate to have a great sewing machine: a gift from a friend. Built like a tank, heavy, and fantastic, baby-blue Singer. I had it serviced some time ago and the repair person commented about how great the machine was. I am lucky to have a tool that helps me create my RADOST scarves for you!

I just added Healing Garden #94 to my online shop. It's a lovely pieces: a round 10" canvas. Just the perfect addition to a lonely wall. It's got two personal aspects that I enjoy about it. First, it's inspired by a photo my friend sent to me some time ago. We often exchange images of flowers in our gardens. This lily of the valley took three years to bloom. I can see my friend being overjoyed seeing the dainty blooms. Second, this used to be my grandmother's favorite flower. I have such fond memories of the blooms in her garden in Prague. So, of course, I had to paint it! And here we are with the new Healing Garden. 

My process is to take a look at the photograph and capture some of the most evident shapes in pencil on canvas. Then, I select a variety of markers - I often just reach into the bin with my eyes closed and see what pops up. Then, I color in the shapes and add dots all around the outlined areas. The last level is to add patterns all over the work in complimenting or contrasting colors. Such a flow in the process. I love it! 

Thank you for your generous support of my work. It's so lovely to share my Healing Garden paintings with you. I also appreciate when you let me know how they are now adding joy to your home. So many wonderful ideas! Wall turned into original art showcases. Yay! You can shop Healing Garden series HERE.

I have designed over a 100 different textile patterns for my collection of RADOST scarves. It's so much fun to play with colors, shapes, and textures, and provide you options to shop by color or by the story behind each scarf. Do you enjoy black-and-white patterns or do you have a favorite color? Here is just a tiny selection. Take a look online and treat yourself to a lovely addition to your accessories. 

My friend Jen took this photo of me at the reception for "Nature Abounds" (show at the Chesapeake Framing Co in Kensington, MD). My top matched my art well and I got a bunch of compliments (on both the top and my art). There were great conversations and much laughter. And I believe this laughter is a direct result of the work I have been doing for the past several months. Why I create my Healing Gardens? About a year ago, my head was buzzing with ideas: ones I was not really happy with. Some personal matters needed to be healed and I navigated my inner life, I kept thinking about my beloved grandmother. She was always excited to see me and her other grandkids. Her presence was calming and encouraging at the same time.

​I went through some photographs of her garden in Prague, Czech Republic, where I grew up. There were roses and peonies. Beautiful walnut and apple trees. Carrots. Potatoes. Strawberries. Peas. The images kept helping me: my thoughts would race less and I started channeling my grandmother's care through floral art. A visit to Hillwood with a friend resulted in purchasing acrylic markers at the gift shop. When I got home that day, the first Healing Garden was born. I am currently working on Healing Garden #95 and I can't even begin to tell you about how much joy and healing this body of creative work has brought into my life. 

My Healing Garden paintings celebrate the emotional sanctuary a garden provides—a space of joy, wonder, and safety. Each artwork combines vivid colors with intricate patterns to evoke a sense of beauty and restfulness. What began as a personal reflection has now blossomed into lively chats with family, friends, and neighbors, about what gardens mean to them—transforming memory into shared connection and healing. And definitely fewer buzzing thoughts!​

Caring people and beautiful nature are powerful and life-affirming aspects of our lives. I have a photo of my grandmother in my living room and always smile right back when I catch a glimpse of her. ​Thank you, grandma! P.S. She would not really enjoy having her image shared but I want to celebrate my deep love for this lovely lady. And you know, grandkids sometimes misbehave :) Here she is! 

Nature is healing to me. Being outside, observing my surroundings, slowing down my step and breath. Sunshine, chirping of birds, crunching of sticks under my feet. So, it's no surprise that many of the scarves in my RADOST line-up (the word means JOY in Czech) are inspired by nature. I invite you to check them out in my online shop.

BUTTERFLIES Option 3 - There are over 20,000 species of butterflies in the world! Wow! To many, they represent change and transformation, comfort, and hope. When this colorful print rests around your neck, may it bring on thoughts of positivity and growth. Let's adorn the world with beauty like butterflies do. ​

RAIN DROP - I often remind myself to look up. But sometimes it’s good to look down too. Following a rain shower one day on a Costa Rica trip, I stumbled upon this gem of a rain drop as I peeked at a leaf below my feet. One thing led to another, and the result is a scarf design created out of my photo. Kind of cool, right? This scarf is a reminder to pause, slow down, and appreciate the details around us. 

PERSERVERANCE - Gingko leaves have been symbols of hope, peace, longevity, and endurance, across many cultures. Aren't they just gorgeous? The shape. The color! I hope this print - which I am calling Perseverance - is a reminder for you to keep going and knowing your inner strength is bigger than you will ever know.

If you follow my Healing Garden series journey, you know that it started with my capturing my grandmother's garden in my paintings. But the word spread quickly and now I have been inspired by gardens of friends and neighbors and strangers. What a journey! Healing Garden #89, however, takes me back to my family. My cousin sent me a photo of blooms from her garden in Prague. We share fond memories of our grandmother and often talk about her positive impact on our lives. My cousin's photo inspired this work on round canvas. I love the shape: a circle is just such a soft and all-inclusive shape. Read on for my experience and let me know if you are interested in this painting. 

My cousin's photo inspired a sketch: I jotted down overall shapes, no specific details. I am not after botanical precision, rather a feeling, a sense of safety one finds in a garden and within loving relationships. And what better way to work on this piece, then to go to a beautiful garden! A sunny day. Warm breeze. A comfy bench. I spent an afternoon at McCrillis Garden in Bethesda, MD. I listened to an audio book, painted the shapes in vibrant colors, and rested in moments of pause. Lovely. The azaleas were in full bloom so, of course, expect a painting coming of this garden too!

And here we go Healing Garden #89 is all set. I have loved creating it: what a delightful experience of connection, pause, and positive thoughts. Interested? Check it out HERE. 

Wow, I am out of words. Today's reception at Chesapeake Framing Co was such a delightful experience. Family, friends, neighbors. We gathered for an afternoon of art and sharing and so much laughter! Tracy Whiteside and I appreciate your support. Tracy (in her 90s), who is a student of mine at the Knollwood Retirement Community in Washington, DC, is a wonderful pastel artist (and a dear friend). Tracy had so many great visitors today and many current and new friends turned into new collectors. Hugs. Conversations. Support. Just great fun! Our show - "Nature Abounds" is on view until April 30, 2026. THANK YOU!

We ran out of red dots! Industry standard, yes, but we needed more. So, we got blue dots and yellow dots. Thank you so much for your kind support of our work. It means a lot! The staff at Chesapeake Framing Co invited us all into the wonderful gallery space and assisted with questions and coordination of sales. Tracy and I are deeply grateful for this experience. See slides below for artworks that found new homes. But we keep creating so be in touch!

For the inspiration for my Healing Garden series, I take photos of flowers wherever I travel. I took the photographs below in Casco Viejo and enjoyed them for a variety of reasons. They showcase species of plants I have not been familiar with before. They have beautiful colors and shapes and textures. And the compositions of the photos lend themselves easily to dynamic paintings. And of course, they are memories of my lovely travel adventures. 

Once I had my inspiration photos, I went ahead with pencil sketches. These three Healing Gardens started as pencil on Yupo. Slowly, I added a layer in acrylic pens of different finishes (mat and metallic) and thicknesses. I love how portable this process is: I can paint on the airplane, at cafes, on park benches. How delightful!

And here we go! I hope these works honor Panama as a beautiful country with rich cultural traditions. My artworks reflect the three inspiration photos and each work incorporates some (or a combination of) my sketches from the Mola Museum. You are welcome to check out the final works HERE. Enjoy!