Manda Comisari
Fine Artist · Gouache on Paper
About Manda
Manda Comisari is a fine artist, illustrator, and author specializing in gouache works on paper.
She earned a BFA in Studio Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MFA in Illustration from the University of Edinburgh, graduating with distinction. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Animal Artists, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, the Pentawards, the AOI World Illustration Awards, and 3x3 Magazine of Contemporary Illustration, among others.
In 2023, a medical misdiagnosis left her functionally blind for eight months. When she regained her sight, she began painting her houseplants and became interested in their hidden root systems. That series became We All Have Weird Roots, her most personal body of work to date.
She lives and works in the South of France with her partner Simon and their blind dog, Abby, where she is currently developing her first feature film screenplay alongside her other projects.
She documents her studio practice on her blog and writes about her broader creative life and ongoing adventures on her Substack. Subscribe here.
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I’ve always been drawn to emotional stories. I love narratives that spark us to go on a journey of self-reflection, inspire unlikely connections, or that simply open up space for curiosity and wonder. That same sensibility runs throughout my work, which invites viewers to look closer and discover meaning in the unexpected.
One of my favorite examples is the Unusual Animal Messages oracle deck, where I intentionally included odd or much-maligned creatures (like the cockroach) as messengers. To me, if someone can recognize a small part of themselves in an insect they’d normally dismiss, then I’ve succeeded in making my larger point: empathy doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It turns out we’re all far more alike than we realize.
I draw inspiration from Mother Nature, my own lived experiences, and a quiet understanding that everything around us exists in layers. The natural world offers endless metaphors for the human condition, and I’ve come to believe the universe is as funny as it is profound.
Gouache captivates me for the same reasons I love a great story: it keeps me curious. The medium itself doesn’t quite fit any category. Neither watercolor nor acrylic; too opaque for one and too matte for the other. And that liminality draws me in. Painting with gouache feels like a quiet rebellion against the notion that fine art must be large, glossy, or rendered in more “serious” materials like oil and acrylic. For me, gouache offers something else entirely: intimacy, immediacy, and honesty.
It has taught me to embrace imperfections, follow curveballs, and trust the process even when the outcome is unclear. Some of my most meaningful pieces began as happy accidents, revealing new ways of working I couldn’t have planned for. Gouache is the ultimate wild card that brings me back to the table again and again and again.
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ALIVE | The French Institute | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
ANNUAL | John Byrne Awards | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
SUMMER EXHIBITION | Gradcurate | Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2020
WORLD ILLUSTRATION AWARDS | Association of Illustrators | London, United Kingdom, 2017
28TH ANNUAL MADE IN CALIFORNIA | Brea Art Gallery | Brea, California/ United States, 2013
WILDLIFE ARTIST OF THE YEAR | Mall Galleries | London, United Kingdom, 2013
ART AND THE ANIMAL | Society of Animal Artists | Bennington, Vermont/ United States, 2013
