Internationally known portrait artist, Mark Sanislo, began his distinguished art career as an accomplished commercial artist and photographer. A work history that would latter enhance his portrait career. After several years, he built a business that included two art galleries with several artists working in a busy Mackinac Island resort in northern Michigan. Mark’s talents received wide acclaim of his quick renderings by capturing the realism of the vacationing families.

While operating his Mackinac Island business he wanted a gallery closer to home. He added a third gallery in the former Gaviidae Common downtown Minneapolis, attracted numerous new portrait clients interested in highly realistic oil paintings and pastel drawings. Mark’s portraits commissions are found in executive, family and individual private collections nationally. A few of his commissions include Irwin Jacobs, and has had the honor of painting notable portraits of Mr. Gerald Rauenhorst, founder and CEO of Opus Corporation, Glen Taylor, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Sue Zelikson of WCCO radio, Children of Jake Reed former Minnesota Viking, and Sue Holden, President of the Hennepin County Bar Association..

His art education includes training in graphic design at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, St. Cloud State University and specific training in portrait painting at the Atelier Lack School of Fine Art in Excelsior, MN. Additionally, Mark routinely re-focuses by refining his skills via workshops conducted by contemporary masters in portraiture through additional collegiate studies, as well as recently adding numerous sculpturing workshops. Mark is co-owner of Fiat Studios which publishes and distributes his art throughout the country in churches and religious gift stores.

Mark’s talents graciously help raise money for organizations such as Allina’s Saint Francis Hospital in Shakopee MN, Hennepin County Crisis Nursery, The 2001 “Dayton’s Challenge” for Children’s Cancer research, and the Total Life Care Center of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and Cedarcrest Academy.

In addition, Mark is also nationally recognized for employing his portraiture to religious art. Leaders in the church that Mark painted include Mother Anglica, Founder of The Eternal Word Television Network, Reverend Fr. Robert J Fox, founder of The Fatima Family Apostolate, Reverend Fr. Bernard Reiser, Archbishop Harry Flynn and former Archbishop John Roach of the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Diocese. Works commissioned by The World Apostolate of Fatima, and the Fatima Family Apostolate have been published as art prints and featured on the covers of quarterly magazine “The Immaculate Heart Messenger”.

As a commission based artist, Mark enjoys painting traditional classic portraits in oil and pastel. Working from both live sittings, photographs and charcoal sketches, Mark is able to portray a realism in the portraiture. Paintings can be created from a photographic likeness or from a live sitting in your own surroundings. He feels portrait painting is one of the most rewarding art forms, for it captures the physical likeness as well as the personality and soul of the person, while still creating a wonderful piece of art.

Beautiful Pastels portraits and hand painted Oil portraits of babies, children, toddlers, families, and weddings, anniversaries and more. The portraits are beautifully crafted museum quality oil portraiture that captures the character of his people in a classical realist style. Commission an Oil Portrait Painting for Individuals, Group Portraitures and Official business portraits.