Familiarity With Island Helps Painter's Art

John Manikoff outside Lilacs & Lace Monday, July 3, works on a painting of Market Street he had sketched earlier in the day.

"I feel I have a special ability to capture places in a way that other people wouldn't know," artist John Manikoff said of the view he has of Mackinac Island after spending summers here as a child. He feels the time he spent on the Island has given him a unique understanding of it and added that the light on the Island has its own special look, which is difficult for many people to capture.

He was a professional musician until 1996, then returned to school for a degree in fine arts and is now a graphic designer, illustrator, and painter.

Mr. Manikoff works mainly in oil paint, but occasionally uses acrylic paint and markers.

He spent Sunday, July 2, and Monday, July 3, as the featured artist at Lilac's & Lace in the Carrousel Shops on Market Street.