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BIO:
Being a native from Melrose, Massachusetts, I was fortunate enough to be engrossed by a thriving art community during my pre-college years. In high school, I was graced with the teachings of fine art teachers Paul Squatrito, Kathy Marsh, & Chris Riccardi. Through their teachings, I gained a stronger affinity toward art and continued my artistic journey into college. At the University of New Hampshire, I had the honor of studying under national renown art professors Craig Hood, Jennifer Moses, Grant Drumheller, and Brian Chu. In 2003, I received a B.A. in Fine Art with a focus in oil painting and graduated with high honors, which was an achievement that no art student at the university had done in over 15 years.
Since graduating from UNH, I’ve had many art exhibitions and have been solely surviving off of my oil painting since early 2006. I make my living from selling oil paintings at gallery shows, open studios, art festivals, and coffee shops all over the state and also from being hired to do commission work for clients. I am a member of the Melrose Arts and Cultural Association (MACA) and also the Salem Arts Association where I have garnered some great exposure. I have shown on Newbury St. in Boston, the Sowa Artwalk in Boston’s South End, the Charles-Baltivik Gallery in Provincetown, MA and numerous other art venues on the north and south shore. My work can currently be seen at the “Hourglass Art & Gift Gallery” in Melrose, MA, and the “Artist Row” art gallery in Salem, MA, along with select upscale restaurants all across the state. I’m also happy to say that my paintings can be found in various private collections world wide.
My work is representational artwork made through flat brush work which I feel incorporates a photo realist quality. The surfaces of my paintings are for the most part smooth with a subtle bit of texture to add additional depth to the painting. I enjoy compositions that present eccentric angles, vivid color combinations, and intense value shifts. I paint with a full palette of color and never use the color black straight out of the tube, but rather make my own black by mixing Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson to detract from neutral and less vivid colors. Some of my artistic influences are Edward Hopper, Jan Vermeer, and Salvador Dali to name a few.
My body of work encompasses all subject matter including landscapes, still lives, cityscapes, waterscapes, figure studies, sunsets, imaginative art, and more. I like to keep my compositions open ended so I can continue challenging myself and build upon my skills. Keeping the compositions fresh and varied helps me breathe new life into my work in a way which I feel isn’t too stale and overdone.
I am available for commission work all the time, whether it’s for a full scale wall mural or a tiny 8x10” painting of a loved one. I can paint from photos you provide or from the imagination, whatever your project calls for. If you’re interested in purchasing an original oil painting, hiring me to do a commission piece, would like to order a print, or just wanna talk art, please email me right here on eCrater or call my art studio at 617-803-7804. Thanks for taking the time to visit my eCrater Shop and have fun perusing!
“Get lost in a visual dream and stay awhile…”
Cheers,
-J.J.
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