~ Where Tradition Meets Innovation ~
~ Where Tradition Meets Innovation ~
A Philadelphia-based artist, Michael Donato became attracted to pursuing the plein air style of painting in high school because of the 'interaction between the environment and the painter [which] intrinsically shapes the finished piece.' His landscapes are a strong synthesis of realism and abstraction, and are imbued with a radiant sense of light. Donato says of his work, 'No matter what genre, my paintings are searches, investigations, explorations, journeys into light and shade through painting techniques. Sometimes it is playful. Sometimes it feels like dirt under the fingernails. God forbid it become too serious, whatever that means. There are no messages in my work, no hidden aspirations to awaken some nostalgic whimsy in the viewer. If, however, in some way, something resonates with a kindred spirit—that’s great. I paint what my eye is drawn to and along the way something happens, but I don’t know what it is—except paint.'
