We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mike Schiavone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The compulsion to create art has been a constant companion, refuge, and passion of mine for as long as I can remember.

When I graduated with my fine art degree, I found myself working in retail management positions that left little time or energy for creative pursuits. But life has a funny way of pulling us towards our intended destiny. I accidentally stumbled into creative positions with national retailers American Eagle, then Anthropologie. I conceptualized and implemented in-store and window displays nationally for numerous years. These positions afforded me a creative outlet, and an opportunity to work with and learn from brilliant creatives.

I came to a crossroads. As rewarding as those positions were, I felt that I was realizing someone else’s vision, and neglecting my own creative endeavors. So, I moved from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, and became a street artist for over four years on Jackson Square. That’s a grueling lifestyle, and boy do I have some crazy stories from that era of my life. But exhibiting there weekly, I pushed myself to create prolifically, faster than I ever thought I could. I learned so much about myself, and about creating art with universal appeal, while maintaining my own creative integrity.

I moved back to Pittsburgh to be closer to my family, as my mother had experienced some dire health issues, and traveling back and forth, and being so far away was taking toll on my existence that negatively impacted nearly every aspect of my life. I accepted a position as the buyer/manager for Carnegie Mellon University Store’s clothing and gifts. I designed all the clothing and assorted merchandise for five years, and got to make some really cool stuff that was well received by students, faculty, and alumni. Using my previous visual merchandising and retail experience, I elevated the assortment from tired collegiate design tropes to Ivy League/Collegiate Classic inspired by Ralph Lauren and vintage looks.

Towards the end of my tenure there, I reached another crossroads. I had created a new body of work, and decided to apply for an Emerging Artist scholarship with a prestigious local art festival. I was awarded the scholarship, and requested that week off, so I could exhibit. Initially I was given the week off, then I was told I wouldn’t be permitted to do so. I immediately resigned, and have been exhibiting at art festivals ever since as my sole source of income. That was 2017, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.

The following weeks and months were terrifying. I had to figure out how to purchase festival equipment, like display walls and a tent, none of which are inexpensive. I cashed out part of my retirement, and crossed my fingers. I knew this was a huge gamble, but I was determined to put my heart and soul into this endeavor, and succeed. It was a crash course in self reliance. You learn pretty quickly that as an independent, self-representing artist that you have to wear a lot of hats. Customer service, quality control, production, marketing, sales, procurement, you name it. But this chapter of my life feels like a culmination of experience gleaned from every job I’ve ever had, applied to my entire existence.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As far as how I got into art, I think I answered that in the last question, so I’ll tell you a little bit about what I do as an artist.

I am primarily a hyper-realist painter, my subject matter consists of glass, floral motifs, and some Pittsburgh themes in oil and acrylic. Thematically, my pieces are nostalgic and vintage, with a vibrant modern twist. I sell original, hand painted pieces as well as prints and reproductions.

My second body of work is sculptural. I create Catacomb Saints, my interpretation of European relics from antiquity. They’re mostly human skull replicas adorned with vintage jewelry, old and new fabric, rhinestones, antique furniture parts, and paint.

I also dabble in hand lettered signs for fun!

I’m very proud of a few things, for different reasons, so that’s kind of difficult to answer with one example. I’m proud that I continue to push myself to develop and improve as an artist. I’m proud that I have a reputation for working my tail off, especially amongst my peers. And I’m proud of the awards I’ve won for the quality of my work. I’m proud of the connections I’ve made in the community, and the relationships that have flourished as a result.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I continually have to unlearn is that trees aren’t brown, clouds aren’t white, and rocks aren’t gray. All of those things you’re taught when you’re little become ingrained in your visual expression dictionary. So, if your ambition is to faithfully and realistically represent the color and texture of objects, you have to be determined to deprogram yourself through intense observation and analysis of the world around you.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

As you can imagine, Covid prevention and mitigation absolutely destroyed almost two years of festival exhibitions. It took a long time for festivals to come back. Fortunately, I was able to live austerely for that time period, and stick it out until I could get back to work. And while all of that was going on, my grandmother fell, and ended up in a nursing home. Around the same time, mother was diagnosed with lung/brain/hip/spine cancer, and I became responsible for my grandmother’s medical care and rehab. Mom went into hospice the week that lockdown started, and passed away a month later. Then I had to help my father pick up the pieces and downsize. But when I came out the other side of Covid and taking care of my family, I was more driven and creatively potent than I ever had been. I don’t know if I had a new appreciation for the time I have left, or if I was just creatively backed up after not working for so long, but I’ve created the best work of my life since then, and have had a ton of fantastic festivals and opportunities along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: Schiavonestudios.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/mike_schiavone?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelpschiavonedesigns?mibextid=LQQJ4d