Portraits in oil on linen · est. 2007

Her portraits hang in museums, courthouses — and the homes of five hundred families.

Marylou Chibirka is a classically trained portrait artist whose work has been exhibited at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She paints from life, in oil on linen.

Begin a Commission View Available Works
Commissioned oil portrait of Mr. Thomas White, President of UGL
Exhibited & Collected
Philadelphia Museum of Art · ARTWORKS Everhart Museum Federal Building, Scranton Wyoming County Courthouse Misericordia University Keystone College
Marylou Chibirka in her studio
The Artist

A classical lineage, painted from life.

Marylou Chibirka is a classically trained portrait artist whose work has been exhibited at ARTWORKS at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and hangs in federal buildings, courthouses, universities, and private collections throughout the Northeast. With more than five hundred commissioned portraits, her paintings form a living record of the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania — judges, presidents, physicians, and families.

Holding degrees in both Painting and Art History, she continued her training at the Art Students League of New York and privately with established portrait painters. Her approach is direct and alive: she works to capture the essence of a sitter rather than a mere likeness, painting fast and wet so the canvas keeps the energy of the sitting.

A recipient of the 2008 NE Regional Award and multiple grants for her PORTRAITS FROM LIFE community projects, she has operated the Chibirka Gallery since 2007 and paints full-time from her family farm in Dalton, Pennsylvania.

500+
Commissioned portraits
18
Years, Chibirka Gallery
6
Museum & institutional venues
The Collection

Selected works

Portraits, florals, and figurative paintings in oil — each presented as it would hang.

Portrait of Judge James Munley in oil on linen
Judge James Munley
Oil on linen · 40 × 30 in.
Portraits
Three Sisters — group portrait in oil on linen
Three Sisters
Oil on linen · 60 × 72 in.
Portraits
Daisies — floral painting in oil on linen
Daisies
Oil on linen · 48 × 36 in.
Florals, available
Water Fall — landscape painting in oil on linen
Water Fall
Oil on linen · 60 × 72 in.
Selected works, available

More than two hundred original paintings are held at the Chibirka Gallery and available for private acquisition. Browse available works →

The Portrait Experience

From first sitting to unveiling

A commissioned portrait unfolds over several weeks, from the first sitting to the unveiling — and hangs for generations after.

I

Consultation

A private conversation at the gallery or by call — the subject, the setting, the scale, and where the finished work will live.

II

The Sitting

Painted from life wherever possible. Marylou works quickly and warmly, capturing gesture and presence, not just features.

III

The Painting

Oil on linen canvas, built in the classical tradition — with progress shared privately along the way.

IV

The Unveiling

The finished portrait is revealed, approved, and delivered — an occasion many clients turn into a celebration of its own.

Commissions

Private, executive, and institutional commissions

Every commission begins with a conversation — the subject, the scale, and where the finished work will hang. Full details and commission tiers are available on the commissions page.

Commission Details Request a Consultation
She captures more than a likeness — something of the individual's very essence. — Gallery Director, Pauly Friedman Art Gallery, Misericordia University
Begin a Commission

The calendar accepts a limited number of commissions each year.

Share a few words about the portrait you have in mind — who it's for, and where it will hang. Marylou responds to every inquiry personally.

Or email hello@marylouchibirka.art