About the Artist
Gerald Manno is an Ontario-based visual artist and writer whose work explores landscape, memory, and the structures of the natural and man-made world. Working across several mediums, his practice is grounded in close observation, material process, and a sustained commitment to daily studio work. Through painting and writing, Gerry investigates place as both physical terrain and lived experience.
Biography
Gerald was born in Brantford, Ontario, where his interest in art began at an early age. While still in high school, one of his watercolours was selected for exhibition at the Glenhyrst Gallery, marking his first public showing. Although encouraged to pursue formal art training at that time, he initially followed a different path, studying Business and Law. Throughout his university years, he continued painting in oils and sold his work to help support his education.
After completing his studies, Gerald returned to art with renewed focus, undertaking extensive training in watercolour and acrylic painting. His studies took him into studios and classrooms across Canada, the United States, and Italy, where he learned from award-winning artists and further refined his approach.
Today, Gerald paints and teaches regularly from his studio, working in acrylic, casein, watercolour, graphite, charcoal, and printmaking. He is an elected member of the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA) and the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA), a past member of the Colour and Form Society (CFS), and an associate of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour (CSPWC). He is also a member in good standing of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto and a past member of the Central Ontario Art Association (COAA).
Artist's Statement
My work begins with observation of the world around me. I am interested in how time, memory, and repetition shape our perception of landscape and form. Rather than recording a place as it appears, I work to distill its essential qualities through simplification, revision, and sustained observation. Light and mood are two elements I try to capture, while remaining attentive to values, composition, colour, and line.
Painting is a daily ritual for me, shaped by patience, restraint, and close attention. I aim to create work that invites engagement and sustained viewing, offering space for reflection and personal interpretation. I also value the process of teaching a small cohort of students regularly, where we explore shared subjects through varied perspectives, techniques, and approaches.
Some believe that artists inherently see the world differently. Others see art as the result of hard work, repeated mistakes, and the persistence to keep going. I believe the professional artist is shaped by a balance of both.