Meet Mark Hakomaki

Hello! I'm Mark Hakomaki Welcome to my on-line art studio. My real studio is located on Toad Hill, which is our farm in Pine County,  about an hour north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota in the United States. My art studio is in an old granary on our farm, remodelled to cope with the cold winters and warm summers we have in Minnesota. Outside my studio doors are the farm's gardens, a small vineyard, and in summertime, a respectable flock of chickens.

Tori at Rest Pastel on paper This is a pastel of our last pooch, Tori. She was an obstinate bull terrier who left us in 2004. I swear that sometimes, if I am very quiet, I can hear her nails clicking across the wood floors of our farm house. We still miss her terribly.

Self Portrait Oil on canvas This is a recent self portrait I completed after breaking down the individual elements of the face. I would love to do sessions with a model but that is not always the easiest thing to find in a rural setting.

Artist's Note Pastels were the first medium I worked in. They were both quick to work with and required no drying time as oil paint does. Tori, pictured to the left, was in her last days of dementia when this was done, and was only still enough to draw in her brief moments of rest. I never got the chance to do a painting of her in oil.

Artist's Note Before embarking into painting, watercolors and block printing, I found my creative outlets through other vocations. I performed in numerous musical organizations in the Twin Cites area and later owned my own floral design business. I have always enjoyed working both for and by myself - but always made sure as well that I had time to join friends for dinner, drinks and laughter.

Artist's note I always enjoy visiting other art galleries and seeing what I can learn from other artists. I am humbled by the immense talent I observe both in living and past artists.

All the paintings, wood block prints, pastels, watercolors, and other works are all available for purchase, unless noted. Please contact me via e-mail and I will respond  to you as quickly as I am able. Thank you very much for visiting my on-line gallery.