GET TO KNOW SHILO RATNER

Where were you born?

Brant Rock, MA

What did you study in school?

I hold a degree in design from Curry College in Milton, MA and obtained a MFA in painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA.

Did you always want to be an artist?

I knew from a very young age that I had the drive to pursue art and I feel blessed to follow this career path. Before pursuing my MFA I was a self taught painter who started a career in the arts as a commissioned portrait artist. That led me to pursue my MFA.

Are you a full time artist?

Yes.

How has your style changed over time?

After graduating in 2006 from the Academy of Art University I continuing my figurative work rooted in the Bay Area Figurative Style. My work has evolved utilizing the same technical application of layering as with the Bay Area Figurative work but now in a more abstracted approach

How have the city or cities you’ve lived in affected your art?

I moved from Boston, MA to San Francisco and from San Francisco, CA to New Haven, CT. After living in San Francisco for 15 years I decided to make New Haven, CT my new stomping ground. It’s incredible to now live so close to NYC and to be able to pop in for shows and art fairs.

Moving around is exciting yet a vulnerable place to be when leaving your vast artist community for a new community. Every city has a very unique pulse in their arts community. Consciously as well as unconsciously this has definitely influenced my personal and professional life.

Where do you find inspiration?

I start each session in the studio with a Japa meditation. It’s part of my process with painting and translates to my works design that explores color and harmony.

How will art save the world?

The energy we put out in the world individually is powerful. Art to me connects us at the soul level, reflects our own humanity, and has the power to transport us to worlds beyond our experience. Artists bring awareness and raw truth to situations and events. It’s visual history that lives on in the world, and can remind the world of the past so we don’t replay the darker side of history.