“T
hefirstpaintingI did
thathada lasting
effectonme,froman
emotionalstandpoint,
wasdoneinpastel.I’m
surethatexperiencestuckwithme
andbeganmyloveforthismedium,”
saysIllinoisartistMichaelLatala.
“Iwasgoingtoartschoolandliving
athomewhena tragedystruckmy
family,utterlydevastatingmymom.
ThefirstthingI thoughttodowasto
picka rosefromtheyard,putit ina
vaseandpaintit.I didthiswiththe
intentofgivinghersomecomfort,
andthathasalwaysstayedwithme.
I think,subconsciously,I painttogive
peoplecomfortbyshowingthemwhat
I perceiveasbeauty.”A Firm Foundation
Havingtakentheadviceofoneof
hisjuniorcollegeprofessors,Latala
enrolledintheAmericanAcademy
ofArtinChicagoandmajoredin
advertising/design.Afterward,hehad
a successfulcareerasa storyboard
illustratorfortwoofChicago’sleading
advertisingagencies.“Ispenta lotof
timestoryboardingfortelevisioncom-
mercialsandhadtodoit veryquickly.Of Beauty and Simplicity
STEADFAST IN HIS GOALS, ARTIST MICHAEL LATALA STRIVES TO PAINT
HIS SUBJECTS AS BEAUTIFULLY AS HE SEES THEM AND AS SIMPLY AS HE CAN.By Robert K. Carsten
LEFT
Beneath My Roof
To n i g h t (24x18)
RIGHT
A Strong, Sure
Light (24x16)22 Pastel Journal OCTOBER 2019