ABOUT/CONTACT

(To email Lina, use the contact form below.)

Lina Liberace (formerly Lina Chesak) is an artist whose work spans illustration, surface pattern design, and fine art. After earning a degree in marketing and art from Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Indiana, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in graphic design for several years. She went on to illustrate full-time for clients including National Geographic, the Smithsonian, Scholastic, and American Airlines.

ILLUSTRATION
Lina’s book illustrations include Polly Hopper’s Pouch by Louise Rampersaud (Dutton) and Charlie Muffin’s Miracle Mouse by Dick King-Smith (Crown Publishers). Her “Shepherd” illustration for Humpty Dumpty was featured in the Society of Illustrators’ exhibition Women Illustrators, Past and Present and is part of its permanent collection. She has received awards from the Society of Illustrators and the Illustrators Club of Washington. In 2002, Saint Joseph’s College selected her as one of eight alumni to feature in its publication Success.

More recently, Lina has turned her attention to surface pattern design. Her patterns are available as wallpaper and fabric through Spoonflower.

FINE ART
Lina enjoys painting and drawing from nature, often combining realism with a touch of whimsy. Her work has been included in the Art Renewal Center’s Salon and Show, and she exhibits alongside her husband, Rob, and two daughters, Celia and Ava, in the annual Small Works shows at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia. In August 2016, her “sgraffito/granito” (old Italian style) gilded frame and her painting to go with it were featured in Picture Framing Magazine’s article “Gilded Magic,” written by Master Gilder William Adair (see link below). Lina occasionally teaches sculpture to both children and adults.

LATEST ADVENTURE
Lina and her husband, Robert Liberace, live in Virginia and spend part of the year in Wiltshire, England. Rob is internationally recognized for his portrait and figure work. Their latest adventure is renovating a space in Bradford-on-Avon for Liberace Studio Gallery, while their daughters, Celia and Ava, are each pursuing their art careers in London. All four recently made a film for the November 2026 edition of Realism Live, in which each artist demonstrates techniques from their own practice.

SELECTED PRESS:
Kathleen McDermott. “From Portraiture to Illustration: And Interview with Robert Liberace and Lina Chesak-Liberace.” Plaza Artist Materials’ Plaza Art Blog, November 2016; https://www.plazaart.com/blog/liberace-interview/

William Adair. “Gilded Magic.” Picture Framing Magazine, August 2016, pp. 24-28; http://www.pictureframingmagazine.net/portals/0/pfm/pdfs/2016/Aug_16/Aug_16_Sgraffito.pdf

Debby Bird. “Painting Parents – Rob and Lina Liberace.” Painting Parents Blog, May, 2016;
http://debbybird.blogspot.com/2016/05/painting-parents-rob-and-lina-liberace.html?m=1

Annette Goings. “Exploring the French Quarter Art Walk in Charleston, SC.” Living the Artful Life Blog, November 2014;
http://www.livingtheartfullifewithannettegoings.com/2014/11/exploring-french-quarter-art-walk-in.html

Hope Katz Gibbs. “The Art of Motherhood.” Elan Magazine, February 2006;
https://hopegibbs.com/article/309/lina-liberace-the-art-of-motherhood-elan-magazine

Exhibitions (fine art):

January 2023, The Art Renewal Center Annual Salon Competition, drawing, animals, and still life: one finalist and two semifinalists
December 2022, The Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA – Small Works Show
December 2021, The Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA – Small Works Show
March 2021, Artists in Middleburg Exhibit, Middleburg, Virginia – Birds, Birds, Birds
December 2020, The Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA – Small Works Show
September 2019, Tippecanoe Arts Federation Building, Lafayette, IN – Goddesses, Totems, & Other Investigations
January 2019, Art Ovation Hotel/The Southern Atelier, Sarasota, FL – Renaissance of Passion: A Figurative Exhibition
September 2018, The Carnegie Center/Prairie Arts Council, Rensselaer, IN – The Art of the State, The State of the Art
January 2018, North End Gallery, Leonardtown, MD – Invitational Exhibition
December 2017, The Arts Barn, Gaithersburg, MD – Mid-Atlantic Silverpoint Exhibition
August 2017, The Carnegie Center/Prairie Arts Council, Rensselaer, IN – Roger Beehler Legacy Exhibition
January 2017, Montgomery College, Germantown, MD – Both Sides Now
November 2016, The Art League of Virginia, Alexandria, VA – The Artistic Frame
October 2016, Richeson’s Art Competition, Kimberly, WI – Animals, Birds & Wildlife
November 2014, The Principle Gallery, Charleston SC – The Ties that Bind (with Robert Liberace)
May 2014, Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library, Howard University, Washington DC – Anatomy Art Show, Robert Liberace and Students
February 2012, Richeson’s Art Competition, Kimberly, WI – Small Works

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