Matt Sissel Completes Portrait Commission

ARA student Matt Sissel has recently completed a dramatic portrait commission. 

The portrait is of Filip, the owner of Phil's Espresso at the intersection of Dundas & Keele.  Matt executed the portrait in carbon pencil on cold press paper.  The drawing measures 16X22 inches.  The portrait now hangs proudly in his cafe.  Enjoy an expresso and the portrait next time you are at Phil's.

Matt met Filip earlier in the year while at the cafe and introduced him to his realist work.  Fil immediately wanted a portrait of himself after seeing one of Matt's grandpa's.  Matt is now currently working on the details of a second commission of a historic urban scene.

About Matt Sissel
Student at the Academy of Realist Art - Toronto (at cast painting level)
He is originally from the US. 

Matt was formerly a combat medic for the US Army and served for 2 years in Iraq.  He was part of a small team charged with training and advising the Iraqi military.

Matt indicates that he has always been interested in realistic art, having grown up with a wildlife artist as a father.  He took an art class for 2 weeks in college and dropped it, realizing they were never going to teach him what he wanted to know.  Matt thought 'because I didn't think I was that good at art, I didn't pursue art as a career until discovering the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto.  Based on the student work at the school and their promise that art is a skill that can be taught, it was clear to me that I could get a world class education in realistic art.' 

He soon left school and home and headed to Toronto as soon as it became feasible.  Well done Matt!

Matt's personal website:  www.mattsissel.com