About Us - Fun Winecrate Art

The artist behind Fun Winecrate Art is Michael F. Pitoscia. He was born in Somerville, NJ into a loving family of artisans, artists and musicians. His grandfather, Michael, was a master cabinet maker and wood craftsperson. As a young child, Mike would watch his grandfather build beautiful cabinets and furniture is his garage workshop. His aunt Rose was a gifted self-taught artist, who painted life-size murals on her basement walls. His uncle, Ferdinand, was a virtuoso violinist and university music professor. From early on, Michael was inspired by all of this. He began music lessons at age eight and started playing drums professionally during his college years. 

Michael truly inherited a passion for making wooden works. The smell of fresh-cut wood is one of his fondest childhood memories. His formal education as an engineer helped him design and create items from unique materials. When an artist friend, Karen, brought him some old, discarded wine crates, Mike started making interesting pieces incorporating the unique wood qualities and logos of the crates. He finishes all works with hand-rubbed Danish oil and stains to highlight the wood's natural beauty. His art reflects designs that are fun, decorative and wildly creative. 

Mike currently resides in Manchester, NJ where he has a workshop/studio. He has been marketing pieces at local arts and craft shows and doing custom works for individuals and businesses for the last seven years. His first solo exhibition will be this August at the Ocean County Artists Guild. He joined the guild last year and regularly has pieces on display.