Anastasia Mak was born in the Ukraine, to a Russian mother and a Ukrainian father. She moved to the United States on her own at the age of 14, originally as an exchange student. Her parents followed her to the US shortly after. Since then Anastasia has lived in St. Louis, Atlanta, Italy, and from 2002 on - Chicago. Her international experiences provided her with early appreciation for world diversity. Now she constantly strives to expand her knowledge of places through travel. She became a full-time artist in 2008.

Her past explorations, various forms of art, old and new architecture, street graffiti, as well as curiosity about unfamiliar lands influence her work.

Mixing geometrical patterns with distinguishable buildings, landscapes, or creatures, Anastasia creates works in the style of expressionism. The main subject matter of Anastasia’s paintings is destinations – which can be canals of Amsterdam, valleys of Colorado, or the skyscrapers of her home, Chicago. She also enjoys painting whimsical people, birds, and animals.

Anastasia paints from photos that she takes, and from her sketches. While she mainly works in acrylics, she also enjoys incorporating mixed media into her pieces - such as screen printing, markers, and collage. She creates in her Chicago studio, located in Ravenswood neighborhood.

Mak has a broad group of collectors, ranging from college students to corporate executives. “To me, making art is both challenging and entertaining,” says she. “I enjoy passing great pleasure I feel from creating paintings to those who acquire them. My art exists to fulfill souls and relieve stress. While the actual process of painting is driven by my experiences and imagination, I let the audience find their own life force in my work – be it happy, nostalgic, mysterious, or purely decorative.”