Michal Shapiro has been painting and drawing for most of her life, nurtured by early exposure to art in her mother’s studio. A Queens College alumna (BFA, MFA coursework), she studied under esteemed artists Herbert Aach and Gerald Hahn, whose mentorship helped shape her transition from figurative to abstract painting. Immersed in SoHo’s vibrant art scene of the late 1970s, she maintained a studio on Broadway and Prince, exhibited at Cooper Union Gallery, and formed lasting connections with painters such as Thornton Willis.
Shapiro’s work has been widely exhibited across New York, including solo and group shows at Mercer Street Gallery, Sideshow Gallery, M55 Gallery, and Baruch College. Her painting Butternut gained pop-cultural recognition as a fixture in Don Draper’s office on Mad Men, and has also appeared in Away We Go and Trumbo.
Since 2001, Shapiro has created dynamic collages from painted Styrofoam and recycled gift wrap, transforming discarded materials into vibrant explorations of color, texture, and rhythm. Guided by intuition rather than premeditation, her process embraces spontaneity and surprise, allowing form and movement to emerge organically.
A multidisciplinary artist, Shapiro is also a musician and world music journalist, producing the videoblog World Music and Culture and collaborating with the improvisational duo Sonic Twist (Bruce Arnold and Judi Silvano) on art videos that merge visual and auditory expression—continuing her lifelong exploration of improvisation, intuition, and creative flow.
“I allow the fragments of painted Styrofoam or paper to guide me into ever fascinating relationships of color and texture,” she notes. A recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation grant, Shapiro continues to live and work in Queens, New York. Her work can be viewed at michalshapiro.com.
Knot NOW will feature a retrospective of images of Carrick Bend knots that I have been creating for the past 6 years. It will feature works on paper and canvas; knots large and small, neutral and bright.
WHY KNOT?
“The Carrick bend, also known as the Sailor's breastplate, is a knot used for joining two lines. It is particularly appropriate for very heavy rope or cable that is too large and stiff to be easily formed into other common bends. It will not jam even after carrying a significant load or being soaked with water.” - Wikipedia
Even its description is weighty; the Carrick bend is the strongest knot in the sailor’s toolkit. I find this image to be timeless and full of potential symbolism. Yes, it is a knot. But it is also an image that reflects strength, symmetry, and balance. It relies on strong opposing forces to create that stability. It is the coming together of equal objects to wield a different, larger power. That power rests upon the deceptively simple arrangement of “over and under.” And to extract from the above quote, “It is the joining of two lines.” Within the realm of abstraction with its emphasis on the stripped back elements of visual art, it is not simply a knot, is it? Perhaps it is also a way to look at relationships; the compromises or “bends” that are required of both people involved to strengthen the emotional bond. I started working with this image about 5 years ago, and I still enjoy its power, and its ability to retain that power no matter what medium I use to portray it.
"My work is abstract, but hopefully it is also accessible. I aim for a beautiful image, one that will consistently reward the viewer. Whether it is the colors that I choose, the underlying structures, or the textures that occur, I want my work to connect; to make a personal statement. It's really that simple."
– Michal Shapiro, 2025