Chicago based artist, Frank Trankina received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting and Drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied and mentored with legendary artist and educator Ray Yoshida. Trankina was the first recipient of the prestigious Alexander Rutsch Award in Painting as well as an Award from the Illinois Arts Council. His work has been represented by galleries in Chicago and Tokyo, Japan, and has been exhibited internationally and nationally in Cambridge, England, San Diego, Miami, Dallas, New York, South Korea, Tokyo, and extensively in the Midwest. Trankina’s paintings have been collected into international and national private collections in Chicago, Indonesia, Switzerland, Japan, New York and Washington DC, and is in public permanent collections including Rockford Art Museum, Illinois State Museum, Elmhurst Art Museum and the John Michael Kohler Art Preserve. Trankina is a Professor of Art in Painting at Northern Illinois University.