Miguel Maldonado, born in Puerto Rico and grew up in the South Bronx, New York, is a current resident of Newnan. Early in his childhood he was exposed to varied forms of artistic expressions. Every single member of his immediate family, his father, his mother and his siblings, all gravitated toward some form of artistic expression. Though he is self-taught and has not had any formal training, his sense of family and love motivated him to give art a try. He has only been painting less than 5 years. Most of his paintings are base on some of his fond memories growing up in New York. He likes to incorporate into his work his dog “Brooklyn” and a 1948 red Ford pickup.
His love of art started at a very early age, as far back as the third grade. In Junior High School he was placed in a class which was solely intended for students that possess talent for the arts. His art teacher taught him that if he looked very carefully he would see art all around him. She surprised him one day by asking him to do a mural on a wall in the class room. She noted how he got lost in his own world and into his rhythm while painting. After graduation, he stopped painting. He now paints for his own pleasure and always reminds himself to stay humble and what matters is that it makes him happy
