who is canman?

Well, I’m Canman (Mike Cannistraro), a fine artist, illustrator, and tattooist based in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. My work blends bold color, imaginative symbolism, and atmospheric storytelling, drawing on influences from dream imagery, mythology, and psychological introspection.

My creative journey began as a child secretly drawing on the walls behind my mother’s living room sofa. Self taught, I’ve honed my skills over the years through continuing education, workshops, commitment and discipline.

I primarily work with oil / acrylic paints and digital tools.

When I’m not in the studio, you can find me hiking local trails, loitering at music venues, world traveling, or tattooing at my custom studio, Visions Tattoo, Piercing & Art Gallery in Medway, MA.

I also serve as a board member with the Medway Art Association.

Thank you for visiting my site. I invite you to explore my portfolio, connect with me on social media, or reach out for collaborations, commissions, or just to say hello friend.

Artist Canman finding creative inspiration everywhere he travels.
EMAIL ME

EDUCATION:

  • 2004 - Michael Hussar painting workshop New York,NY

  • 2006 - Alex grey art intensive Rhinebeck, NY

  • 2006 - Painting & color theory, Dansforth Museum Framingham, MA

  • 2006 - Chet Zar painting workshop Albuquerque, NM

  • 2007 - Old masters oil techniques workshop. Vienna, Austria

  • 2008-2009 - Illustration master class Amherst, MA

  • 2009 - Casey Baugh oil portrait workshop Framingham, MA

  • 2016 - Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell oil painting intensive Venice, Italy

  • 2019,2023,2024 - Alex & Allyson Grey visionary painting intensive Wappingers Falls, NY

    AWARDS & GRANTS: 2019 - Massachusetts Cultural Council art grant “ Medway community farm mural project”.

ARTIST STATEMENT:

My work lives in the space where the subconscious surfaces-where intuition, tension, memory, and imagination collide in symbolic form. Through surrealism and socially-driven narratives, I explore the hidden forces that shape us: the anxieties we suppress, the energies that haunt us, and the internal transformations unfolding beneath the calm veneer of daily life.

Using bold color, sharp contrast, and atmospheric textures, I create imagery that feels both familiar and unsettling. Figures distort, realities shift, and organic forms take on a psychological or spiritual weight. My aim is not to solve these tensions, but to offer a mirror-portals into the viewer’s own inner landscape.

EXHIBITIONS:  

  • 2019 - Out of step gallery - Iconic Art show - Eugene, Oregon

  • 2020 - Tribe 13 gallery - Gem & Jam festival - Tuscon, AZ

  • 2022 - Choate park Mural - Medway, MA.

  • 2025 - Winged Feet Exhibition - Hopkinton, MA. Center for the arts.

  • 2025 - Medway Art Association Spring Exhibition - Thayer Homestead - Medway, MA.

  • 2025 - ARTISTS on FIRE 2025, A SMALLS SHOW - Worcester center for crafts - Worcester, MA

  • 2025 - Medway Art Association Fall Exhibition - Parks & Recreations building - Medway, MA.

Self portrait of the artist Canman done with watercolors.