Made by hand in Montréal
About
Painter in Montréal. Every original is made by hand.
Statement
In her words
Marisa has not yet written a statement for this site. Here is what she has published herself, word for word.
“Art has always been my passion. I work with a wide variety of mediums including oil paint, acrylic paint, ink, charcoal, graphite, clay, fabric, and more. I’m known for the realism in my work and dramatic imagery.”
RAW Artists profile
“Montreal based artist. I use a mix of traditional mediums from acrylic and oil paints to charcoal and pastels.”
Redbubble bio, 2016
“If you want the moon, do not hide from the night.”
Instagram caption for KaiZen, November 26, 2019
Under one of her tiger paintings she wrote: “Through struggle, the tiger emerges stronger and more fierce.”
Instagram caption for Through Struggle, February 27, 2024
Roots
An Italian Montréal family
Marisa Apollonia Viglione comes from an Italian family in Montréal. Her name already carries Italy; her canvases tell it another way.
Many Italian homes here share a way of living: family first, the table where everyone gathers, things made by hand, patience, and the care given to everyday objects. That is the light in which her work can be seen: nothing in it is hurried, everything is made by hand, layer after layer, down to the gold leaf laid by hand.
She has shown her work to Montréal’s Italian community, at the Casa d’Italia art gallery and at Collège d’Anjou. And with the people who follow her, Italian comes naturally.
“Grazie mille”
In Montréal’s Italian community
Handmade
Made by hand, in Montréal
Every original is made by hand by Marisa, in Montréal, and exists only once.
I 
II 
Finished
The canvas
Most often a poured acrylic ground: smoke grey, ivory or black. A pour can never be made twice.
The layers
Acrylic and oil, in layers: fur and feathers are built stroke by stroke.
The gold leaf
Gold or copper leaf, laid by hand and often torn, shifts with the light.
Only once
The original exists in a single copy. An edition is always labelled as such.
Free pickup in Montréal, by appointment.Find your piece
Videos
In motion
What a photo cannot hold: gold leaf shifting with the light, the surface up close.
Tap a video to hear the sound.
Who she is
Biography
Marisa V (Marisa Viglione) is a Montréal painter. She holds a BFA from Concordia University.
Her originals are made entirely by hand: acrylic and oil, charcoal and graphite, ink, pastel, and the gold or copper leaf that runs through much of her work. She paints mostly wildlife (tigers, lions, crows, horses), often under the moon, as well as charcoal portraits.
In 2018 she exhibited at MTL Uncovered at Théâtre Paradoxe and designed the covers of two singles by the musician Heather Ragnars. She also takes commissions, from animal portraits to custom abstracts.
Since 2015
Exhibitions and showings
Six exhibitions and showings in Montréal, from 2015 to 2024.
« L’Art pour l’Art »
Italian community exhibition, Galerie d’art de la Casa d’Italia, Montréal, April 20, 2024.
Invitation MTL Uncovered / MTL Mis à Nu
MTL Uncovered / MTL Mis à Nu, a group show of more than 35 artists, Théâtre Paradoxe, Montréal, April 7, 2018: her second edition.
CCCAN Arts 2018
CCCAN Arts 2018, exhibition and silent auction for Kids Help Phone, BMO main branch, Montréal, April 5 to 21, 2018. Work shown: White Horse, limited-edition print on canvas.
Le Tour d’Italie
« Le Tour d’Italie », Italian community evening, Collège d’Anjou, March 15, 2018, at the organisers’ invitation.
Poster MTL Uncovered / MTL Mis à Nu
MTL Uncovered / MTL Mis à Nu, Montréal, April 9, 2016: her first edition.
RAW Artists « Paramount »
RAW Artists Montréal, « Paramount », La Tulipe, Montréal, August 6, 2015: her first exhibition.
Training and collaborations
CV
Education
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Concordia University, Montréal
Collaborations
- 2018Cover art for Heather Ragnars’ singles “Bench Warmer” (July 2018) and “I Know I’m Bad” (November 2018). Photography by Frank Lam.
Private commissions
- 2015–2021Commissioned works for private collectors.