John Maisano

My life as a sculptor began when my wife Jessie and I moved from New Haven, Connecticut to Austin, Texas in 2000. Since then, my work has been commissioned for public monuments as well as private collectors.

My body of work reflects the combined influences on my life as an artist. Working as exhibit designer in grand natural history museums for the last twenty five years has made me appreciate the beauty of both nature and architecture. These historic buildings – the Peabody Museum at Yale University, and the Texas Memorial Museum at The University of Texas at Austin – have inspired me. I have taken elements of their Gothic and Art Deco architecture, respectively, and of the creatures housed within them, and combined them into graceful interpretations of the animals’ form.

The intricately inscribed designs in my pieces, inspired by Art Nouveau, capture the life force of each animal to transform them into something more. I am fascinated by the use of symbolism in different cultures. I try to capture the spirit of each animal, using design to embody the power inside as well as the environment in which the creature dwells. Celtic, African, Inuit, and Tribal symbols are just some of the forces that influence me when creating my sculptures.

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EXHIBITIONS // EXCHANGES // MEDIA