Artist Statement

I am an emerging artist driven by epic narratives full of transformative stories - ones that make you rethink your life trajectory and values, ones that trigger a reflective emotional or analytical response, ones that keep you grounded in the present and find deeper meaning in who you are. They are found everywhere from the mundane to the fantastical and I paint to communicate, share, and understand these adventures.

Vivid imagery is distilled down to key representational elements and crafted for impact. I explore how to inspire and draw people together with visual storytelling. Current personal work studies the relationships involved in biotechnology, drawing upon my previous professional life as an immuno-oncology scientist.

Artist Bio

Jonathan Soriano grew up in New Jersey, USA born in 1988 to Filipino immigrants. While he developed an affinity for art in high school, his parents’ medical and veterinary influences led him to his first wonderful life adventures in biotechnology and drug discovery. After 13 years professionally focused on science, building immuno-oncology therapeutics through protein engineering and gene editing, in 2024 the stars aligned for the chance to pursue his formative passion for painting. Having learned that moderation is not his strong suit, Jonathan seized this opportunity to trade the pipette for the paintbrush.

Jonathan lives with his husband in Boston, MA studying at the Academy of Realist Art Boston, using this second chapter of his life to develop the artistic skills to support impactful stories. His childhood work is cherished by his family but his emerging work has been taken in by US private companies and residencies.

Education

Academy of Realist Art Boston (2024 - current)
Boston University, Masters of Arts in Medical Sciences (2012)
Tufts University, Bachelors of Science in Biology (2010)

Publications and Presentations

  • Peptide‑HLA‑based immunotherapeutics platforms for direct modulation of antigen‑specific T cells (Nature Portfolio, Scientific Reports · Sep 2021)

  • CUE-101, a novel HPV16 E7 pHLA-IL2-Fc fusion protein, enhances tumor antigen specific T cell activation for the treatment of HPV16-driven malignancies - (Clinical Cancer Research · Jan 2020)

  • A novel engineered fusion protein effectively targets and expands disease-specific anti-tumor T cells - (The Essential Protein Engineering & Cell Therapy Summit Boston · Apr 2019)

  • The emerging contribution of social wasps to grape rot disease ecology - (Peer Journal · Apr 2017)

  • Actinomycetes with antimicrobial activity isolated from paper wasp (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) nests - (Environmental Entomology · Jan 2013)

Artist CV

EXHIBITIONS

  • (2026) Spring Bull Gallery - Newport, RI

  • (2025) Academy of Realist Art Boston - Boston, MA

COLLECTIONS

  • Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital - Woburn, MA

  • Brimmer Street Trust - Boston, MA

  • Private Collection - Davie, FL

  • Private Collection - Provincetown, MA

  • Private Collection - Bridgewater, NJ

  • Private Collection - Branchburg, NJ

Soriano 2005