Artist's Statement

I have taken all the things I love and combined them into an expression of my art called “The Collection.” Working as a designer in natural history museums for the last two decades has made me appreciate the beauty of both nature and architecture. These historic buildings – the Peabody Museum at Yale University, and the Texas Memorial Museum at The University of Texas at Austin – have inspired me. I have taken elements from their architecture, focusing on line and form as seen in the Art Deco movement, and combined these with nature. I begin with the graceful forms of animals, simplify those forms, then capture their spirit with intricate designs. These designs are usually inspired by Art Nouveau or tribal art, which I use to capture the energy or life force of each animal. The result is an animal transformed into something more.

Artist's Bio

I was born in 1964 Branford, Connecticut. I obtained a BSFA degree from Southern Connecticut University in 1989 and went to work as an exhibit designer at Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. While there I met my wife, Jessie, and after 12 years at the Peabody I ventured down to Texas where we had both gained positions at The University of Texas at Austin. I started sculpting in 2001 when I was awarded my first monumental commission, for a life-sized bronze dinosaur sculpture for the Hartman Prehistoric Garden in Zilker Park, Austin. Since then I have created several monuments around Texas, most recently a larger-than-life Saber Tooth Cat for the UT Austin campus. In 2007 we incorporated Maisano Productions LLC and now exhibit The Collection in Houston and Dallas at Thornwood Galleries. My work will also appear at the Loveland Sculpture in the Park show in August 2008.

Artist's Resume

Contact Artist

John Maisano
E-mail: john_maisano@tsos.org

I continue to accept commissions for public and private clients.
More work can be seen at johnmaisano.com
and at Thornwood Galleries, Houston and Dallas.

Web site: http://johnmaisano.com