Michael Shane Neal (born November 23, 1968) is an American portrait artist who currently serves as the chairman of the

Portrait Society of America Portrait Society of America is an art organization based in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Established in 1998, the Portrait Society of America is a 501(C)3 registered charity was set to serve the purpose of an art education organization to ...

. In 2020, Neal's painting of Congressman John Lewis was acquired by the

Smithsonian Institution's The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded o ...

National Portrait Gallery as a part of their permanent exhibit entitled
The Struggle for Justice
" Neal has created official portraits for the United States Capitol of U.S. Senator

Arthur Vandenberg Arthur Hendrick Vandenberg Sr. (March 22, 1884April 18, 1951) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Michigan from 1928 to 1951. A member of the Republican Party, he participated in the creation of the United Natio ...

, former Majority Leader and U.S. Senator

Robert C. Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician and musician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A ...

, 10th Architect of the Capitol

Alan Hantman Alan Michael Hantman, FAIA (born October 13, 1942) is an American architect who served as the 10th Architect of the Capitol from February 1997 until February 2007. As Architect of the Capitol, he was responsible to the United States Congress ...

, and over 400 works of art depicting various public figures. Commissions include Supreme Court Justice

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

for the Sandra Day O'Connor School of Law at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in t ...

, former Secretary of Energy

Spencer Abraham Edward Spencer Abraham (born June 12, 1952) is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the tenth United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, Abraham pre ...

for the

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-relat ...

, and U.S. Senator

Arlen Specter Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...

for

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

Background

Neal's commission to paint Senator

for the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the Seat of government, seat of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is form ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

was the first portrait of its kind to be added to the Senate Reception Room in nearly 50 years. Neal received the commission at age 32, making him among the youngest artists ever commissioned by the United States Senate. A protégé of the nation's leading portrait artist

Everett Raymond Kinstler Everett Raymond Kinstler (August 5, 1926 – May 26, 2019) was an American artist, whose official portraits include Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.The Vose Galleries ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

, in Boston, Massachusetts. Neal was listed among 20 rising stars in the world of art by ''

American Artist A list by date of birth of historically recognized American fine artists known for the creation of artworks that are primarily visual in nature, including traditional media such as painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking, as well as ...

''.Professional Artists Tell All
''American Artist'' His work has been featured in publications such as ''

'', '' International Artist'', '' Artist's Sketchbook'', ''

The Artist's Magazine ''The Artist's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine for artists formerly published by F+W Media in Cincinnati, Ohio. The magazine was founded in 1983 and claims a circulation of 60,000. The founding company was Fletcher Art Services. F&W Publications ...

'', ''

Art News ''ARTnews'' is an American visual-arts magazine, based in New York City. It covers art from ancient to contemporary times. ARTnews is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. It has a readership of 180,000 in 124 countr ...

'', ''

Fine Art Connoisseur Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (The Nanny), Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid a ...

'', ''

Roll Call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of ...

'', ''

The Hill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', and

AskMen.com AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit. History AskMen was ...

. Neal has been elected to membership to the

National Arts Club The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'' to "stimulate, foster, and promote publi ...

Allied Artists of America An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

Audubon Artists of America The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such orga ...

, and

. He is represented in notable commissions by

Portraits, Inc. Portraits, Inc., is the world's oldest and largest commissioned portrait company. Founded in New York City in 1942, Portraits, Inc. specializes in commissioned paintings or sculptures. Today the agency represents over 100 of today's commissioned ...

Awards

*2000 First Place

International Portrait Competition *2001 Grand Prize

International Portrait CompetitionWinners of the 2001 Portrait Competition
,

*2004 Catherine Lorilland Wolfe Award from the

*2004 Tara Fredrix Award from the Audubon Artists of America *2005 Artist’s Magazine Award of Excellence at the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition *2007 Grumbacher Gold Medallion from the

, 108th Exhibiting Artist Members' Show

References

External links

*
Senate Unveils Portrait of Senator Byrd
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neal, Michael Shane 1968 births Living people 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists American portrait painters Lipscomb University alumni 20th-century American male artists