Michael Marisi Ornstein is an artist who's scope of work encompasses painting, filmmaking, television / film acting, live performance and creative writing. After living in New York City for many years, he relocated to Cape Cod with his wife and family. Painting: Until recently, Michael has always sold his paintings privately, building up a large international collector base of many well known people in the entertainment, high finance, academic and technological fields. For many years, he has organized and exhibited in numerous mission-based benefits sponsored by collectors of his work. For example, actress Katey Sagal and Kurt Sutter (writer/producer "The Shield" and the upcoming “Sons of Anarchy”) mounted an exhibition of Michael's portraits in Los Angeles to benefit the women of L.A.'s Skid Row. Since moving to Cape Cod in late 2006, Michael began to view his exhibitions as “performance” and began searching for interesting and eclectic venues. He began his schedule with the 2007 Kips Bay Decorator Show House in NYC, where he was asked by Organic Designer Cheryl Terrace of Vital Design to paint and install a 10 x 13 ft. organic hand-painted backlit silk ceiling tapestry mounted on bamboo to benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club. On Cape Cod he showed at the Cahoon Museum's "Brush Off" and "ABCs of Abstract", the Cultural Center of Cape Cod's "Bloomin' Art" and "Celebration of the Arts", at "Festival of the Arts" in Chatham's Chase Park, a solo show at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. He went back to NYC for a KOR Project event benefiting Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of NY at the Highline Ballroom. Then, it was back to Cape Cod in October of 2007, where Michael proposed a concept to the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater to turn the lobby of their new Julie Harris Stage into a visual art venue. The Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater agreed to this concept, so while Michael was acting in a production there, he installed a large solo exhibition of 35 oil paintings on canvas in their lobby. In February of 2008, Michael put together an installation of oils on paper mounted to plexi glass in a new jewelry boutique called “M”. Around the same time, he had a solo exhibition of oils on paper mounted to sheet metal in the Cultural Center of Cape Cod’s main hall. In May, Michael installed a hundred foot high fully functional sail painted with mixed media in Cotuit’s village green for their ArtAgua festival. As for publication of Michael’s paintings, Smalls Records, the international boutique jazz label, has used several images for CD cover art. Cape Cod Magazine used a painting for an article in their November issue and two of Michael's paintings have been used as posters for theatrical productions at the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater. Live Performance: Michael's performance career began in 1982 when he dropped out of Mason Gross School of the Arts after his first year and decided to go to move to New York City and go to work as an actor. While continuing his studies in NYC, he began developing and performing brand new plays at Playwrights Horizons, Circle Rep., Theater for a New City, American Jewish Theater, West Bank Theater Bar, CSC, EST, New York Theater Workshop, etc. His resume also includes a diverse assortment of projects throughout the country, including creating the role of Louis in Tony Kushner's "Angels in America" in the 1991 World Premiere of Parts I and II at the Eureka Theatre in San Francisco and also in a workshop at the Mark Taper's John Anson Ford Theater in L.A. Aside from his work in conventional theaters, throughout the years, Michael also produced a large number of performances of original material in on-site venues such as bars, cafes, dance studios, art galleries, etc. Film and Television Acting: Robert Altman's "Kansas City"; Hal Hartley's "Book of Life"; "Man of the Year", a mock documentary by Dirk Shaffer; "Crossing Delancey"; and "Let It Snow", by Adam and Kipp Marcus; "Seinfeld"; "Law & Order"; "Special Victim's Unit"; "Criminal Intent"; "Another World"; "Guiding Light"; "New York Undercover"; "Third Watch"; and a recurring role on "Homicide". Filmmaking: "Wine Dark Sea" (1995-2006) happens to be the first digital video feature ever made; "Mr. World Goes to New York" (1998) is a documentary about the launching of a “Personality”, featuring Paris Hilton, Patti LaBelle, Jocelyne Wildenstein, Ivana Trump and Regine; "Osmosis" (2004) is a post-9/11 interview with author, professor and activist Howard Zinn that deals with the timeline leading up to the war in Iraq; "The Rest of the World" (2004) is a documentary on U.S. Foreign Policy that Michael filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The interviews in this film explore the impact and influence U.S. Foreign Policy has on the world as viewed through an International / Canadian perspective.