Michele Amatrula has a voice and vision unique amongst contemporary photorealist painters. Using skills honed during decades as a leading professional illustrator, she depicts small glimpses of unexpected beauty in everyday life. Her work stands out for both its unexpected subject matter and exquisite portrayal of light and shadow. Amatrula embraces wear and tear, melancholy moments, and faded glory. In her capable hands, vintage bottle caps take on the evocative luster of the Dutch Masters; tattooed limbs reveal more truth than a conventional portrait; and antique household objects evoke nostalgia for a simpler time--even as they recall the complex lives of their owners. Informed by the past, Amatrula’s precise paintings celebrate the perfect imprecision of the present, and remind us of the possibility of a joyful future.

Michele Amatrula holds a BFA from the Parsons School of Design and has received numerous awards from organizations including the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, the Portrait Society of America, and the Bosque Conservatory of Art. She lives in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood with her family.

Exhibitions
•2022 Five and Under, Arcadia Contemporary, New York, NY
•2022 International Guild of Realism, McBride Gallery, Annapolis,MD
•2022 Oil Painter of America, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO
•2022 Art Love Gallery, Provincetown, MA
•2022 Art Expo, NYC
•2022 World Almanac, Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK
•2021 Candles and Flamethrowers, Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK
•2021 Summer Breeze, Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK
•2020 Art Love, Allen St. Gallery, NYC
•2016 Red, Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK
•2016 Portraits Inc. Gallery, Love Me, Love My Dog
•2004 Marbletown Arts Association Art Harvest
•2003 Marbletown Arts Association Art Harvest
•2002 Marbletown Arts Association Art Harvest
•2001 Agora Gallery, Group Show
•2000 The Inn at Stone Ridge, Solo Show

Awards

•2022 International Guild of Realism, finalist Still Life Category

•2022 Oil Painter of America, finalist Still Life Category

•2022 Portrait Society of America, finalist Still Life Category

•2021 ARC Finalist Still Life Category

•2020. ARC Finalist Still Life Category

•2019 ARC Finalist Still Life Category

•2019 ARC Finalist Figurative Category

•2019 Portrait Society of America 6th place Still Life Category

•2016 Finalist Portrait society of America Still Life Category

•2010 Charlotte Dunwiddie Award, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club

•2007 Artist's Magazine, Finalist , Animal Art Category

•2006 1st Place American Contemporary Dog Art Competition

•2006 Certificate of Excellence, Portrait Society of America

•2006 Nora Roth Memorial Award, Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club

•2006 2nd Place Drawing Category, Bosque Conservatory of Art

•2006 2nd Place-American Contemporary Dog Art Competition

•2003 Romance Writers of America Artemis Award

•2002 Romance Writers of America Artemis Award