Portrait Commissions

by Kipling Gallery artists

Kipling Gallery works with several highly accomplished artists,  and we are ready to work with you to arrange a portrait commission.

Our portrait artists include:


Ernesto Manera:

If a work of art is measured by the attention it commands and the feeling it evokes, then the paintings of Ernesto Manera distinguish themselves admirably. Here is a gifted artist of individuality and directness in whose works the technical, aesthetic and imagination coalesce into powerful imagery. The artist’s powers of drawing and expression along with his emotive use of colour in motion, display a unique and direct statement in paint.

Ernesto Manera presents monumental human figures whose anatomies are reminiscent of Michelangelo but subjected to and transformed by situations that stir them from the confines of their enclosed spaces.

The poses are foreshortened, dynamic, expressive and communicate through their movement an immediacy of effect that precipitates viewer involvement. The drama into which these figures are impelled, the metaphysical forces with which they fuse or struggle, ring out as products of an imagination at once provocative and energetic. The paintings become charged vehicles for private reflection. Manera received his formal training at the National University of San Juan, Argentina. His talents were acclaimed and he was invited to teach at the Atelier School of Fine Arts, Department of the Sub Secretary of Culture, San Juan, Argentina. He has frequently exhibited in Argentina, Australia and Canada since 1983 and his works figure prominently in many private and corporate collections.

View more Ernesto Manera works


Matthew Tarini:

Matthew Tarini currently lives in Ancaster, Ontario and teaches at the Avenue Road Arts School, the Toronto School of Art and the Dundas Valley School of Art. He began his art education at a traditional art academy before earning his Bachelors of Fine Art at York University and Masters of Fine Art at the University of Western Ontario. Matthew has had three solo exhibitions in Toronto, London, Ontario and Edmonton, Alberta and has been included in numerous group exhibitions across Canada. He has done private and public commissions, including the portrait of the Dean of Dentistry at the University of Toronto and has appeared on the television show Star Portraits where his work was selected by the comedian, Sean Cullen, for his private collection. His work is in public and private collections across Canada and internationally. Public collections include York University, the University of Toronto, and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives. Matthew has received the Elizabeth Greenshields grant, he was one of thirty finalists in the Kingston Prize portrait competition and has also had several painting selected as finalists for the Art Renewal Centre Salon competitions.


Leszek  Wyczolkowski:

Leszek was born into a family of artists in Poland. His great-grand uncle, Leon Wyczolkowski (1852-1936), was a noted Polish painter and graphic artist, associated with Young Poland (Mloda Polska) – an important artistic movement at the end of the 19thcentury. Leszek Wyczólkowski received his first artistic training at an early age from his father, Witold Wyczolkowski (1921 – 2012) a career artist known for his old master techniques in portraiture. His formal education was obtained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw – Poland (1975-1977). After immigrating to Canada in 1978 Leszek Wyczolkowski continued his education at the Ontario College of Art (1980-1982 and graduated with honours). In 2005 and 2007 Wyczolkowski attended self-directed residencies at The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta. He has traveled through Asia and Europe and has exhibited in over one hundred and eighty solo and group shows in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and the United States. Leszek Wyczólkowski’s works appear in museums, corporate, public and private collections in Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the United States. He was the recipient of The MARTYS 2011 Mississauga Arts Council – Artist of the Year (Established Visual Artist) Award.

View more Leszek  Wyczolkowski works


Joseph Capicotto:

Having graduated from York University in Toronto with a double major in Fine Arts and Mass Communications, Joseph has enjoyed a successful career as a freelance artist specializing in pastel portraits and fresco murals. Since then he has developed and refined a versatility of styles ranging from impressionism to abstract.

His landscape paintings especially display a sensitive eye for colour and a synchronization of design. Joseph’s trees, skies, and rivers form an exquisite harmony of tender hues, moving shapes and pattern. The atmospheric effects express a delicate and dreamy mood present in all his paintings.

Joseph’s style and techniques are continuously evolving, incorporating all his skills as an artist. Some of his paintings are completely abstract and some he integrates themes such as: landscape, figurative or musical. Overall Joseph’s portfolio offers a wide range of subject matter and styles which has earned him the reputation as a versatile artist. Examples of his work can be seen in many public buildings throughout the greater Toronto area and private collection across North America.

View more Joseph Capicotto works


Please contact Kipling Gallery to discuss the possibility of commissioning a special and memorable portrait for yourself or someone you know.

Contact Rocco Pannese at rocco@kiplinggallery.com or Call us at 905.265.2192.