Renowned contemporary realist painter Marc Chatov was born in Key Largo, Florida in 1953 to a family of artists, musicians and stage professionals. From an early age, he was immersed into the world of art. Chatov attended Georgia State University as a Fine Art major under the late James Sitton, studied at the Art Students League of New York under Michael Burban and Nelson Shanks and took on an intense, full-time apprenticeship with his father and uncle in his early twenties. He continued his artistic pursuits by traveling the world studying, drawing and copying from great masters making stops in Italy, Greece, Spain and Mexico. "I’ve discovered that everything has a secret. The relationship of light and color upon form gives me a hint of what and where that secret lies. Even everyday objects can reveal a plethora of design and meaning, that largely, remains hidden in our everyday lives. I see a connectedness in all life, in all forms, whether designed by man or by nature." Chatov says of his current painting practice. He considered a leading contemporary portrait painter with numerous memberships and recognitions such as Money magazine naming him one of the top eight portrait artists in America. He is featured in private collections across the world and has exhibited at notable museums and galleries such as the High Museum of Art, Mobile Museum, Cochran Gallery, Portraits Inc. Gallery, and Salmagundi Club of New York. Currently, between completing commissions and gallery works, Chatov instructs art classes at the Chatov Studio, the longest running art atelier in Atlanta.