About

Naomi Marino is a classically trained representational oil painter and charcoal artist based in Sonoma County, California. She studied art in Italy, and has taught painting and drawing in both academic and informal settings. Her work has earned various awards, scholarships, and an international clientele.

“As a young person interested in art and inspired by the technical finesse seen in old master paintings, my experience studying fine art at university was disappointing. The focus on modernism in teaching favored theory over craftsmanship: the craftsmanship I longed to study and apply to my own art in order to create a depth and magic in my work. So many of my colleagues had a similar experience of being eager to master drawing and painting skills yet were unable to find adequate instruction.

I finally gained the foundational art training I had hungered for while studying at a traditional art academy in Florence. After completing a rigorous three years of study, I served as a teacher and was able to witness, from an instructor’s perspective, the joy, pride, and success of students from all over the world following their dreams of learning to produce fine art. This experience quite unexpectedly gave birth to a love of teaching and of sharing knowledge.

Along with working on my own art and custom commissions, I continue to be passionate about teaching art. I truly believe it is never too late to follow your aspirations and create a skill set which will bring a lifetime of rewards.

In my own work, no matter the subject, I search for truth, beauty, and emotional resonance. I enjoy the challenge of capturing visual essentials and nuances of mood. I’m increasingly captivated by the play between realism and abstraction.