Art

Craftsmanship

and the Outdoors.

“Painting” upon a life long relationship with the arts and outdoor recreation, Michael Guastella produces oil paintings depicting a wide range of North American landscapes. Born in New Orleans, Michael enjoyed discovering and engaging in the arts from a young age. He would graduate the University of New Orleans with a degree in history, focusing on American and Art history, and later studied visual art at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. For over a decade Michael has worked in the outdoor industry with outfitters, as a guide and an educator. Backpacking, paddling, mountain biking, and mountaineering have allowed Michael to explore hard to access areas for inspiration. Many of Michael’s paintings portray the landscapes he has visited and it is not rare to see him working en plein air. In 2018 Michael began woodworking and with his respect for the craft’s history he began to collect and use hand tools. Michael now carves and guilds many aspects of his frames and each one is uniquely hand made. Together the paintings, the frames and the subject of the work are all reflective of Michael’s experience in life. Michael is currently living and working in the Southeast.