Michael Iskowitz creates colorful, seemingly playful paintings that often belie more serious ideas. His process is somewhat spontaneous, fueled by a sense of exploration and discovery. “Once inspired by a subject,” he says, he extends it into a series, “never knowing how the next image will materialize.” Sometimes a particular object triggers a whole new direction and he runs with it. Other times, childhood memories provide a reservoir of material from which he draws inspiration.

In the Toy Box, Nursery City War Scenes, and Wanderers series, Iskowitz places dolls and other toys in precarious and unnerving arrangements to represent the social and political dissonance at play in the world today. The color, size and lighting of the objects further heighten the dramatic effect.

Iskowitz, who has a hearing impairment, began painting at the age of five with an art therapist at Jawonio, a special needs services organization in New City, NY. Jawonio continued to offer support and inspiration throughout his youth and into adulthood. He later took art classes at Cooper Union and studied under the artist Robert Glaisek in Nyack, NY. Iskowitz’s work has been featured in Esopus Magazine and he has participated in numerous exhibitions in and around Rockland County. He lives and works in Rockland County, NY.