Manning creates expressive, color-saturated oil paintings that merge representational surrealism with painterly abstraction. His work centers on dreamlike landscapes inhabited by symbolic figures—human, animal, and organic—where scenes feel both tangible and otherworldly. Through layered compositions and intuitive mark-making, he reveals the psychological tension beneath seemingly familiar environments, inviting viewers into a heightened perceptual space.
Raised between American and Arab cultures in Jordan, Manning developed an early sensitivity to the fluid nature of identity and place. His practice draws from dreams, the unconscious, and a sense of the “other” or unseen realm. Philosophically, his work is informed by Eastern thought, Christian mysticism, and metaphysical traditions that explore the relationship between spirit and form.
Manning earned a Bachelor of Arts from Gordon College. He was awarded a full-tuition scholarship to attend a summer residency at the New York Academy of Art in 2016.
At its core, Manning’s work seeks to reconnect viewers with themselves—awakening an intuitive recognition of inner depth, presence, and the forgotten language of the psyche.
Curriculum Vitae
GRANTS/AWARDS
2025 First prize in oil, 22nd Annual GVAL Juried Fine Art Show
2024 First prize in oil, 21nd Annual GVAL Juried Fine Art Show
2019 Dean’s Scholarship, Massachusetts College of Art and Design
2016 Full-tuition scholarship, Summer Undergraduate Residency Program, New York Academy of Art, NY
2015 Faculty Award, Gordon College
2013 Jerusalem to Athens Academic Honors Scholarship, Gordon College
2012 Fine Arts Scholarship, Gordon College
EXHIBITIONS
2025 22nd Annual GVAL Juried Fine Art Show, The Gallery at HD South, Gilbert, AZ
Scottsdale Ferrari Art Week - A Fine Art Fair, West World of Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ
2024 Shemer Arizona Fine Arts Festival, Shemer Art Center, Phoenix, AZ
Light of Day , Shemer Art Center, Phoenix, AZ
21st Annual GVAL Juried Fine Art Show, The Gallery at HD South, Gilbert, AZ
2019 Blue, Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
Massart Masters, City Hall Scollay Gallery, Boston, MA
Climate of Unrest, Modified Arts, Phoenix, AZ
2018 Tiny Works, Tiny Dances, {9} The Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
Exempla, Barrington Center for the Arts, Gordon College, Wenham, MA
2017 Buzzing Barriers, Community Church of Boston, Boston, MA
ImpactFest Impact Hub Boston, Cambridge, MA
2017 Summer Exhibition | Emerging Artists, Cambridge Art Association, Kathryn Shulz
Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Inhabitations, Solo Exhibition, Falcon’s Nest Gallery at The Hive Center, Gloucester, MA
Industry and The Machine, Charles Fine Arts Gallery, Gloucester, MA
Rocky Neck Now, Cultural Center at Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA
2016 Artspeak: Walk With Me, Salem, MA
Represented by The Hudson Gallery, Gloucester, MA
Summer Undergraduate Residency Program Group Show, New York Academy of Art, New York City, NY
Strange Encounters, Senior Thesis Exhibition, The Gallery at Barrington Center for the Arts, Wenham, MA
2015 Mostra Collectiva, Orvieto, Italy
Facing Sex Trafficking, Ken Olson Science Center, Wenham, MA
Art Exploring Human Impact on the Environment, Barrington Center for the Arts, Wenham, MA
EDUCATION
2019 - 2020 Part of an MFA in 2D Fine Art, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA
2016 BA in Fine Art (Painting Concentration) Gordon College, Wenham, MA
Summa Cum Laude
CURATORIAL
2017 “Polarized: Technology and Aesthetics of Polaroid Art,” The Hudson Gallery, Gloucester, MA