Artist Miguel Freitas grew up in Lisbon, Portugal. Later, he moved to Toronto, where he continued studying the fine arts and explored ways to express his creativity. His artistic diversity and ability to work with various media and styles have proven to be a great asset to his creative career.Starting as a photographer and then venturing into the design industry, his success as a designer and illustrator eventually led him to positions as an Art Director for companies in both Canada and Europe. Although he enjoys design, he longed for new challenges and creative freedom, and so he ventured out on his own and now works from his home studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Miguel’s unique technique and style have attracted significant attention and created a following, with his originals sought after by collectors and galleries throughout North America. When composing his art, he tries to express things as he sees them, not always as reality. His style and execution evoke images of great frescoes on crumbling old walls. The unusual use of mixed media and subject matter is a perfect marriage. Whimsical impressions of places in his mind call to you through the feelings they evoke.His use of vibrant colors is what often strikes people first. The colors are carefully chosen, giving his work a strong presence and symbolic content. The passionate reds, the pure range of blues, and the warm yellows are seared into your memory, leaving you emotionally charged. You will lose yourself in the warmth and comfort of a familiar place. Each painting tells a story, drawing you closer, inviting you to touch its highly textured surface. The paintings convincingly depict the naive impressions and memories left in your mind years after visiting a place.Artist Statement Coming from an advertising background, I knew the importance of standing out, so my goal was to create a unique way to capture familiar scenes with a slight, whimsical, surreal twist.I paint mainly from my imagination, and my goal is to alter reality just enough to create my own unique scenes.  The paintings have a certain intentional distortion and exaggerated movement, and are composed with forced perspective to make a path that leads the viewer's eye into the scene.I want my audience to feel as if they could step into my paintings, visually and emotionally.My style, what is it exactly?  Surrealism, Expressionism, Impressionism?  For fun, I call it Miguelism."