Martinho Isidro Correia was born on the bare Canadian prairie, in the
shadow of the Rocky Mountains, to parents of Italian and Portuguese
origin. His route through life has been circuitous and eventful,
leading him from a Fine Arts Degree at the University of Calgary in
the early 1990s, to an Education Degree at the University of British
Columbia three years later, followed by six adventurous years teaching
art to grade school students. Life had barely begun with him however,
and in the late 1990's Martinho was swept forward towards a destiny he
had earlier only dreamed of. Seeking to broaden his skills as a
painter, his interest deeply rooted in figurative work, he left home
to learn the traditions of his craft in the historical heartland of
classical figurative painting, Florence. In Florence he discovered the
work of Michael John Angel who had studied with noted Italian master
figurative painter Pietro Annigoni. Angel's life work was to resurrect
the academic traditions of 19th-century French schools and invest them
with a contemporary flavor. Martinho then spent 5 years studying at
the Angel Academy in Florence.

Since completing the program at Angel's, Martinho splits his time
between teaching at the school and working on commissions.