We were lucky to catch up with Michael Provenza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I’ve always been a self motivator from the beginning of my artistic endeavors as a kid. I believe this was the case because of my passion for art. This carried on through school work and sports for me. I always had the drive to do my best with the things I liked doing. It made no sense to me not to put your best effort towards something. Obviously, I became a perfectionist, which also became a bit of a challenge for me! I was harder on myself and, at some points, became a little frustrated through my learning process. But, overtime, I learned to channel that into constructive learning and work as a positive attribute for me. This served me well in my professional career as I could take any challenge on within my art as a video game artist for over 20+ years. Now with my fine art, which I had always developed through my working career, I approach it as if I am working for someone/a purpose. A kind of “workplace” where I am responsible for the final outcome. I couldn’t have reached this type of work ethic without mentors in the business, though! I am grateful for those in my life that have helped, guided, and supported me through my journey so far! These include my family, co-workers, and close friends.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a native Californian from the South Bay Area in San Jose. As a 9 year old, I was very into art, drawing, painting all environment scenes. The traditional sun in the sky to a few clouds with mountains. grass and flowers lol! Back then in the 1970’s, I entered a bunch of art contests form the the backs of cereal boxes. My mom was a wonderful encourager, even though I wasn’t much of a “developed” artist then. These included characters, environments, and a story to go a long with it.. Quite involved and challenging but I loved it! By the way, I never won a single contest, lol!
My inspiration came from my grandfather, who was quite a wonderful artist, Disney films, and Saturday morning cartoons!
I always kept up my art through school as it gave me so much happiness and energy while creating! In the 1980’s, after High School and college, I had jobs like sign painting, graphics, and graphic design, while still carrying on my fine art development. I then started to do art and wine shows up and down the Northern California circuit. It was fun but a lot of work setting up and tearing down displays.Then there was one show in particular where I won best of show and changed my artistic path altogether! I was approached by an art director of a local video game company to work as a computer graphic artist for games! I was so excited but I had no idea how to use a computer at that time, LOL!! There was no problem, as they were looking to hire traditional artists and train us on the computer while getting paid! It was the beginning of an amazing career that spanned over 20 years! The companies I worked for were, Epyx, SSI, SEGA, Crystal Dynamics, Capcom, and Sony. Games I worked on include: California Games(Epyx) , Buck Rogers, Monsoon(SSI), Jurassic Park(SEGA), The HORDE, 3D Baseball, Disney World Racing, Mad Dash Racing(Crystal Dynamics), to name a few! I also painted the book cover for Monsoon, which came with the game(SSI).
My next chapter in art was to become a full time fine artist on my own. I moved to Ohio, for family changes and started my own company/art studio called Three Trees Studio and Michael Provenza Fine Art. My goal was to develop a strong body of work and approach art galleries in like minded locations to display my style/artwork. Im happy to say Im in galleries in Hawaii on all islands. These include: Tabora Gallery, Martin and MacArthur Shops/Galleries, and Gupton Galley. In California, Im in Lewis Galleries and Stage Nine Entertainment. In Florida Im in Promenade Fine Art Gallery on the boardwalk in Disney World.
In 2018, I signed on with Disney Fine Art by Collectors Editions and now paint scenes with Disney characters within my style.
I’m currently doing Disney art events in Orlando and California at various VIP events and Festival Of The Arts in Epcot, coming up in a week! It has been a blast and continues to be a blessing for me and my family!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most important qualities I believe are patience, perseverance, and humbleness! Obviously, there is more, like passion, dedication, etc. but without the first three, It’ll be a tough journey to learn and grow as an artist.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
My mom was the most supportive person in my world!! So much so, I believed in myself because of her positive reinforcement!! My dad, although skeptical of an art career, was a driving force for my work ethic! Do what you love and do it well! That is what I had to pave my way on this art journey!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelprovenza.com https://provenzadisney.com
- Instagram: @mjprovenza @provenzadisney
- Facebook: MICHAEL PROVENZA
Image Credits
MICHAEL PROVENZA
