TJ Brandt - Blog Assignment 2

Michael Shanoski (Self Portrait)

When I went to the Moose Exchange, I was immediately attracted to the artwork of a man named Michael Shanoski. I was amazed at the various types of artwork he had done, especially his abstract work. It wasn't until a woman approached me and asked if I would like to learn about him and his artwork. This woman turned out to be his mother and she informed me that Michael had passed on almost 10 years ago. Although I wish I could be able to talk to him directly about his artwork, his mother knew more than plenty about his works and his life.

Michael was born April 20th 1957 and according to his mother, was an artist all of his life. She claimed he was born to be an artist. He attended several schools to broaden his education and art skills including Bloomsburg University, Temple, and PA Academy of Fine Arts. Michael has also had several shows to display his art. He first started to work with typical still life type artwork, but eventually branched off into a more expressionistic and abstract styles. According to his mother, Michael was severely influenced by ballet and dance as he was obsessed with movement. This was portrayed in several of his works.

Michael used a variety of medias for all of his works. He experimented with such things as graphites, polaroids, photography, paint, pastels, and many more.

One of these abstract pieces I had mentioned before was a piece called "The Garden".

This piece was made with pastel and graphite on paper as Michael tries to show the stresses of being a waiter, which was once a job he held. His mother explained that this piece shows all of the waiters lined up as stress is portrayed as the dark lines coming out of their heads. This piece was one of my favorites in his collection as it really made me think and the colors just came together so well.

In conclusion, I was amazed at these works of art and I'm very saddened that I was not able to meet Michael Shanoski in person. However I am very honored to have been able to see his artwork and learn more about the man who created these pieces. I'm certain that he will live on through his artwork and continue to inspire young artists today.