Bio

Michael P. Rocco has been an elected signature member of the American Watercolor Society for over thirty five years as well as the Philadelphia Watercolor Society; The Allied Artists of America: The Woodmere Art Museum and many other prestigious art organizations. His strikingly realistic technique is grounded in his schooling at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under such renowned artists as Daniel Garber, John McCoy and Francis Speight, to name a few.  After the second World War, during which he saw action in Italy, Rocco completed his schooling and worked in the commercial art field. But his first love has always been watercolor.

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Throughout his career his philosophy of painting has been focused to go beyond the representational and instill an emotional impact upon the viewer. His subject matter is purposely diverse, thus keeping his intensity at a high level with each painting. His work has been reproduced as limited edition fine art prints, calendars, greeting cards and art publications, here and abroad.  He enjoys painting the "feel" of things be it weather, water or stone as expressed in his book  Painting Realistic Watercolor Textures. Commissioned by North Light Books, the book was released in 1996 and has gone through several printings. Excerpts from the book have been used in other instructional publications including Le Revue Moderne of Paris, France;  Splash 1 and Splash 2.​

 

Rocco's paintings have consistently received honors in juried exhibitions throughout the nation. Over the years he has had more than fifty one-man shows and his work is in many private collections. A critic once wrote of his work: " An amazing illusionistic tour de force".