Michael Torquato deNicola is an award-winning American surfer, filmmaker, and artist whose creative vision is inextricably linked to the sea. Joining the US surf team by age nineteen, he spent decades traveling the globe to compete in locales ranging from Indonesia to Iceland. This nomadic, ocean-centric lifestyle became the foundation for his artistic practice. What began as painting custom designs on his own surfboards eventually evolved into large-scale, fluid collages and mixed-media canvases that document his relationship with the world's coastlines. Beyond his fine art, deNicola has a robust background in commercial design and media. He art-directed the award-winning documentary The Westsiders and has collaborated with major brands like Red Bull and Quiksilver. This hub explores his dynamic portfolio, highlighting works that seamlessly merge the adrenaline of professional surfing with complex, layered contemporary art.
Love More
The Love More series traces its origins to a character deNicola first developed around 2005 — a cartoon figure he named Torquato, after his own middle name, and defined as "the action hero inside each of us who says, 'Yes You Can.'" The figure reappears across canvases in bold, flat line and loose gestural mark, typically surrounded by cascading hearts, drawing from a lineage that includes Shepard Fairey's phenomenological repetition of the icon and Joan Miró's deployment of invented characters within dreamlike spatial fields. Where those references remain visible as influence, deNicola's formal choices are distinctly his own: the mark-making is raw and expressive, the palette warm, the emotional register open rather than ironic. First exhibited at FATHOM's 2019 solo show Torquato Says, "Love More…", the works in this series operate less as statements than as sustained propositions — a recurring figure insisting, quietly and without apology, on generosity as a stance toward the world. Explore The Love More Collection
Reef Paintings
In his Reef Paintings series, Michael Torquato deNicola offers a compelling abstract exploration of coastal environments from around the globe. Inspired by the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide, the work captures the raw, exposed imprints of oceanic reefs. Drawing on the distinctive colors and atmospheres of international surf locations—ranging from Sumatra and Maui to Chile and Central California—deNicola translates these dynamic natural textures into layered, evocative abstract prints that celebrate the raw, untamed energy of the sea. Dive Into The Reef Paintings
Sun Spots Sun
Spots highlights Michael Torquato deNicola’s dynamic approach to abstract fine art, moving away from explicit coastal landscapes into the realm of pure color, geometry, and atmospheric light. Featuring striking, vibrant compositions such as Inversion and Oracle, the series explores the visual intensity of the sun through bold, concentrated forms and fluid, shifting hues. By manipulating light and spatial tension, deNicola crafts immersive, high-energy works that evoke the sensory experience of standing beneath an expansive, radiant sky. Survey The Sun Spots Series
Torquato Surf Boards
Merging his deep roots in surf culture with his distinct artistic vision, Michael Torquato deNicola’s Surf Boards collection transforms the classic surfboard into a dynamic canvas for contemporary abstraction. Featuring vibrant, graphic works like Pop Love, Moon Beam, and Tide Pool, the series utilizes the iconic, elongated shape of the board to explore vertical movement, fluid color palettes, and energetic patterns. These pieces blur the line between functional surf design and fine art, offering a sleek, modern tribute to the ocean-driven lifestyle. Check Out Torquato Surf Board