After receiving a Associate of Arts degree in Advertising/Design from the American Academy of Art, he had a successful career as a storyboard illustrator working on staff at Draft FCB and Ogilvy & Mather, two of Chicago's largest advertising agencies. Pursuing his love for painting, he studied with Scott Burdick, Dan Gerhartz, Romel De La Torre and Richard Schmid.

Based in Chicago, he expresses the natural beauty he sees in the world around him through his handling of materials such as oil paint, pastels and charcoal. His landscapes, still life, figurative and portrait work offer a fresh and seemingly effortless symphony of color. 

“I've been painting since my father gave me my first paint by number set. To me, painting is one of the most unique ways to create a memory. The process of painting saves a moment in time, from the second my brush touches the canvas to the final stroke. I look to create something that will be cherished for years to come. I push myself with every painting to create art that will do the same, inspiring young artists, and individuals, as these masters have done for me.” - Michael Latala

Awards
First Place in the Chicago Pastel Painters Members Show
Wallace Award of Excellence in the Chicago Pastel Painters National Competition
Honorable Mention in the Cedarburg Plein Air Competition
Best of Show in the Crabtree Nature Center Plein Air Competition
Best of Show in the Senior Artists Network Exhibit at the South Shore Cultural Center
Best of Show in the Senior Artists Network "Later Impressions" Exhibit at the Chicago Cultural Center
Award of Excellence from the Sierra Pastel Society's International Exhibition held in El Dorado Hills,California

I am a member of:
    -Master member of Chicago Pastel Painters
    -Pastel Society of America