Email: mjraiole@gmail.com
I am a self-taught artist, working mostly in oils and occasionally acrylics.
Aside from a brief period as architecture student, I have no artistic pedigree, though I’ve been modestly skilled with sketches and scribbles since I was a child. From an early age, I was fascinated by the skill of the great masters and contemporary artists. There was something mystical about their ability to interpret and capture light, color and form, and to create art with pigments and brushes.
In my most fortunate life, I’ve had the opportunity to live and travel in over 60 countries. At the encouragement of my wife and daughters, I began oil painting only a few years ago while living in London. Once started, I found I could not stop painting, though it competes with my other interests (fly fishing, golf, reading, and evermore rare opportunities to surf).
I paint because I am inspired by the inescapable natural beauty that surrounds us and because I take pleasure in rendering my impressions of it onto canvas.
For me, painting is a journey of learning, exploration, and wonder. When I surfed my first wave, I knew I was hooked. It’s been the same with painting. My goal as an artist is to enjoy the ride.
I recently retired from the US Intelligence Community and have started a second career in the private sector. I live in Northern Virginia with an utterly amazing wife. Proud parents to two remarkable daughters, we have a dog named Kona.
