Michelle Gagliano was born in Jamestown, NY in 1964. She studied painting at North Texas State University with the painter Vernon Fisher. She was awarded full scholarship to study at the Chautauqua School of Fine Arts. She then received a BFA from Plymouth State College in Plymouth, NH.

Michelle's work has been described as, "…beautifully crafted as well as remarkably expressive." Her work has been exhibited throughout the U.S. and is included in numerous private and corporate collections.

These paintings are an exploration of light against dark, commingling with the organic shadows of nature. I always marvel at the time of day, early morning filled with the silence of light. That moment when the light reaches through the night and before color claims the landscape. These paintings express the searching quality of the anticipation of looking for the light as it squeezes around the shadowed shapes.