Michael Defrancesco

Biography

Michael Defrancesco received his Fine Arts degree from the American Academy of Art in Chicago. While at the Academy, he was fortunate to have studied under some wonderful instructors such as Bill Parks, Vern Stake, Eugene Hall, and Fred Berger. He has worked as a portrait artist for Walt Disney Productions in Anaheim, California, has done both free-lance and in-house illustration for a wide variety of companies, including the Combined Insurance Company of America and The Boitsov Ballet of Chicago. His work resides in the private collections of McDonald Douglas and The Continental Can Company. Michael has taught life drawing, oil painting, and illustration at such renowned schools as Columbia College of Chicago, The Harrington Institute of Interior Design, and the Illinois Institute of Art. “My work is a synthesis of all my experiences as an artist, and I owe much of what I have learned from the study of many great artists that have come before me and those still living today. Thanks to all of those great teachers...and a special thank you to my students. I have learned much from you as well.”

“My motto: As I progress in my painting, I hope to say more with less...to leave the obvious vague, and to paint only that which is essential. This is my goal as an artist.”