NINETY DEGREES show opens.
Isabel Manalo is an Artist’s Artist. She is a pro who not only maintains her own studio practice and exhibition schedule, but also guides countless other artists with aesthetic and academic counsel. Manalo’s paintings possess an uncommon transcendence and mysticism. Yet they are essentially simple and familiar in their subject matter, often with her two young daughters engaged in exploration and wonder amid the natural world. The jewel-like glances of vivid translucent color so musically applied to the picture plane provide a sense of hopeful providence and even joy. Manalo has been exhibiting her work internationally since 1999. Her art works are included in several public and private collections, such as the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, the permanent collections of U.S. Embassies in Bulgaria, Philippines, Kazakhstan and Nepal. Manalo is currently an Adjunct Professor at American University and George Mason University and serves as an Artist Mentor at Lesley University in Boston, MA. She is the Founder and Chief Collaborator of The Studio Visit, an art journal featuring artist interviews with artists in their studios.