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Lina (Chesak) Liberace '85 had been the class "artist" since kindergarten, and college was no different. After completing an art minor and receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Saint Joseph's College in 1985, Liberace, a native of Rensselaer, Indiana moved to Washington, D.C. and found work illustrating for design firms and magazines such as Mortgage Banking. Her freelancing resume grew to include editorial, advertising, corporate, and children's publications for The Smithsonian, Procter & Gamble, Cricket magazine, and The National Geographic Society, among others.
A well-accomplished artist, Liberace enjoys the imagination required by her illustrating occupation. She derives inspiration from the work of other artists if she has difficulty coming up with a solution for an assignment. "A style, an idea, an image, or even a color combination might give me all the inspiration I need to run with an illustration idea," she said. Her artistic freedom is limited by the clients' needs, but often art directors will allow her to use her own creativity to complete the project.
Liberace's talent has won her national acclaim and awards from The Illustrators Club of Washington, Maryland, and Virginia, of which she has been a member since 1990. In 1997, The Society of Illustrators in New York City chose one of her pieces from a series, an illustration of Humpty Dumpty as a shepherd that was modeled after her Grandpa Chesak, to be included in their permanent collection entitled "Women Illustrators, Past and Present." In addition, her work has been featured annually in The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles' exhibition.
SJC has also honored Liberace's ability and achievement by including her in a 2002 brochure called Success that celebrated the accomplishments of select alumni. Her entire experience at SJC, including the Core Curriculum and activities outside the classroom, helped her handle much of what her future would throw at her. "For me, going to a small school was key to helping me come out of my shell," she said. "I was able to take advantage of opportunities at Saint Joseph's College which would have been difficult to come by in a large school. I didn't feel like one in a huge ocean of students there."
Liberace's father, Professor Emeritus of Physics Dr. David Chesak, taught at SJC for many years. Through her father, Liberace was exposed to the College and decided to attend all four years rather than transferring to an art school. During her time at Saint Joseph's, Liberace participated in intramural sports and cheerleading and also drew cartoons for the student newspaper, The Observer (then known as Stuff). In addition to using her artistic skills, her work on the newspaper allowed her to do editorial commentary on the school, faculty, and students. "I remember doing a cartoon about Drexel Hall, that 'mysterious' building across the highway," said Liberace. "I included images about all the rumors connected with the place. I don't know how much was true, but it was fun to illustrate!"
For Liberace, Associate Professor of Art and Assistant Professor of Education Bonnie Zimmer imparted enthusiasm and energy: it was impossible not to get excited about artwork. "The creativity and passion with which Lina approached her artwork raised the bar for every other art student in her classes. It was truly a joy for me to work with someone of Lina's caliber," said Zimmer. "Lina has worked very hard to become the artist she is, true to herself and her personal style. It's very gratifying to know that her coursework at SJC and her art minor degree, along with her drive and passion for what she does, helped her to artistically mature and develop so completely."
Because of SJC's influence and Zimmer's encouragement, Liberace was able to enter the workforce with a unique skill set. "I left Saint Joseph's College feeling like I could do any job for any company," Liberace said. "I think that if I had been an illustration major at a large college, I would have been more hesitant about knocking on some of the doors I knocked on." SJC also influenced her artistic style, allowing her to work in many different types of situations. "I'm all over the board with my style, but it has gotten me jobs from a broad spectrum of clients. Who else can say they've done maps for The National Geographic Society, children's images for Ranger Rick Magazine, and hemorrhoid ads for Procter and Gamble?"
Liberace prefers to work in oil and watercolor mediums and has also illustrated several children's books such as Polly Hopper's Pouch, written by Louise Bonnett-Rampersaud for Dutton Children's Books, Charlie Muffin's Miracle Mouse, written by Dick King-Smith for Crown Publishers, and The Monster Under the Bed, written by Deb Eaton for Silver Burdett Ginn and Modern Curriculum Press. She most recently illustrated a book cover about motherhood in the twenty-first century.
Liberace now lives in Vienna, Virginia with her husband Robert, who is also a well-known artist and art teacher, and daughters Celia and Ava. Although she now only illustrates part-time and instead focuses on the tasks of wife and mother, Liberace continues to satisfy her creative side in different ways. "I've discovered that creativity is tied to everything I do," she said of the renovations entailed in the family's house - nearly a century old - and overgrown acre of land. "If I'm not doing illustration, I'm installing tile floor or a tin ceiling or designing an addition or fence."
"I've always managed to do exactly what I want to do, whether that means becoming an illustrator, getting an award, publishing a children's book, or being fortunate to have such a great family," she continued. "So many people get stuck in life doing what they don't want to do or never planned on doing. It's nice to look back and say that has never happened to me."
In addition, using her Marketing degree, she manages her husband's career and has developed Linabeans, her own line of merchandise that includes a series of Humpty Dumpty clocks. "I'll get back to my own career when the kids get bigger," Liberace said. "I've discovered that you can do it all, but not all at once.
To learn more about Liberace's work, visit http://www.linaliberace.com/.
