Monica Cardestam spent many years in the retail business world in various management roles before taking a separation package to spend more time raising her three children. Looking for a creative outlet, she signed up for a Sumi-e class intrigued by the catalog description, Paint subjects from nature using simple brush strokes. …The goal of the Sumi-e painter is to use the brush with both vitality and restraint. She then branched out to taking classes in charcoal drawing, watercolor pencils, and watercolor painting as well as further developing her art skills by attending various painting workshops lead by artists such as Dongfeng Li, Joan Lok, Shozo Sato, and Andy Chan.
Monica has had her artwork displayed in a number of different venues including: the Gorton Center, Painting in the Asian Manner exhibition, Highland Park’s Festival of Fine Arts, the Northbrook YMCA’s Taste of Asia Festival, Glenview Arts of Life, Square Foot exhibition, Heller Nature Center, A Brush with Nature exhibitions, The First Bank of Highland Park, Dickinson Hall of Lake Forest, Highland Park Community Center art shows, and at the Highland Park art center.
Monica is currently a board member for Sumi-e Midwest and is a member of the National Sumi-e Society of America.
