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THE FINE ART OF MICHAEL BRAIA
Explore Braia →
Born in Central New York in the mid-1960s, Braia’s early childhood was shaped by a local Italian-American culture that was still commonplace. He explains, “We spent a lot of time with extended family then—cousins, grandparents, homemade dinners after weekend Mass. Food was at the heart of it. Looking back, I remember those younger years fondly.
In the neighborhood, we had a rambunctious flair—climbing trees, mining for crayfish or fossils in the nearby streams. But by the time I reached middle school, I recall becoming less attentive, somewhat rebellious, and having trouble paying attention in class.”
His father was a “tin knocker,” a sheet metal man, and imparted creative influences to him. “My dad was a hard-working blue-collar type. He loved to work with his hands. I remember him looking curiously at his hand, showing me as he turned it, describing how amazing a tool it was. Along with one’s mind, he added, the hand was integral to building the world we see today.” His father loved tools, calipers, and math, and his favorite metal was copper. “He loved the way one could manipulate copper, the way it looked, and how it oxidized over time with a protective patina. He was fascinated with it, and he made me feel the same way.”
Early on, Braia developed a strong interest in the visual world. “As a child, I loved looking at images in encyclopedias, Wyeth’s illustrations in Treasure Island, anything in Reader’s Digest, or a character’s curiously enveloped shoes or facial expressions in a Rockwell painting.
I once drew a horse, and my parents got a bit overexcited, encouraging me to do more. Some students in middle school praised my ability to draw. My aunt, an educator at the time in California, knew that I had an affinity for the visual. She once sent me a poster of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. I loved the bold application, the simplicity of the pearl’s reflective light, and how the painting would be less interesting without it.”
His parents sent him to group art classes at the Everson Museum in Syracuse. Soon after, he was taking private art classes at the local Metropolitan School of the Arts.
“There were a few years in my early to mid-teens when my attention shifted toward the usual preoccupations of mid-adolescence—girls, hanging around with friends, and mostly wasting time. But I always knew I wanted to do something in the creative world of art—I just didn’t know how, or feel that I had enough direction.”
Braia went on to earn an AAS in design from Mohawk Valley Community College and later a BFA in visual communications (illustration) from Syracuse University. He continued his education with college-level sculpture classes and private study with portrait painter Daniel Greene in North Salem, New York.
Born in Central New York in the mid-1960s, Braia’s early childhood was shaped by a local Italian-American culture that was still commonplace. He explains, “We spent a lot of time with extended family then—cousins, grandparents, homemade dinners after weekend Mass. Food was at the heart of it. Looking back, I remember those younger years fondly.
In the neighborhood, we had a rambunctious flair—climbing trees, mining for crayfish or fossils in the nearby streams. But by the time I reached middle school, I recall becoming less attentive, somewhat rebellious, and having trouble paying attention in class.”
His father was a “tin knocker,” a sheet metal man, and imparted creative influences to him. “My dad was a hard-working blue-collar type. He loved to work with his hands. I remember him looking curiously at his hand, showing me as he turned it, describing how amazing a tool it was. Along with one’s mind, he added, the hand was integral to building the world we see today.” His father loved tools, calipers, and math, and his favorite metal was copper. “He loved the way one could manipulate copper, the way it looked, and how it oxidized over time with a protective patina. He was fascinated with it, and he made me feel the same way.”
Early on, Braia developed a strong interest in the visual world. “As a child, I loved looking at images in encyclopedias, Wyeth’s illustrations in Treasure Island, anything in Reader’s Digest, or a character’s curiously enveloped shoes or facial expressions in a Rockwell painting.
I once drew a horse, and my parents got a bit overexcited, encouraging me to do more. Some students in middle school praised my ability to draw. My aunt, an educator at the time in California, knew that I had an affinity for the visual. She once sent me a poster of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. I loved the bold application, the simplicity of the pearl’s reflective light, and how the painting would be less interesting without it.”
His parents sent him to group art classes at the Everson Museum in Syracuse. Soon after, he was taking private art classes at the local Metropolitan School of the Arts.
“There were a few years in my early to mid-teens when my attention shifted toward the usual preoccupations of mid-adolescence—girls, hanging around with friends, and mostly wasting time. But I always knew I wanted to do something in the creative world of art—I just didn’t know how, or feel that I had enough direction.”
Braia went on to earn an AAS in design from Mohawk Valley Community College and later a BFA in visual communications (illustration) from Syracuse University. He continued his education with college-level sculpture classes and private study with portrait painter Daniel Greene in North Salem, New York.