ARTIST STATEMENT / BIOGRAPHY
Born in Westbury Long Island, New York in 1944, I grew up in an idyllic era of
our country. In the early 1960s I attended New York City’s School Of Visual Arts. In
the years that followed I served in the army as a photographer and instructor in
Vietnam. My years as a professional artist began in 1969, with a move to the West
coast. I was fortunate to work as an Art Director, Illustrator and Designer for corporate
and private companies. I was a member of the Los Angeles Art Directors Club and
was awarded three Awards Of Merit and National Achievements Awards in design
and illustration.
In 1974 I decided to open my own independent studio. While talking on the
phone and doodling, I created the figure that has become my signature character in
many of my paintings. Influenced by the graceful sculpture of Giacometti, my figures
are virtually all elongated, raceless, genderless, and usually composed in groups. By
simplifying shapes with quick precise brush strokes to animate the basic human emotions
in all of us, these expressive figures achieve their movement.
In the last forty plus years, the work has taken me into a world where observing
people is a constant awareness of behavior and reactions that I continually strive to
express in my paintings. My art is about communication, both visually with the image
and verbally through the titles that I choose. I have been honored with national and
international representation. My art can be seen in the American Art Collector books
and several magazine articles. I have designed for text books, magazines, novel and
album covers, clothing, have self-published books, various print lines, and greeting
card collections.
From my very first year at School Of Visual Arts, one of my painting instructors
infused in us the simplicity of negative and positive space and the essence of pure
design in what makes a painting work. My current paintings are acrylic and oil on
canvas with multiple layers of glazing to create the depth and movement that I wish
my characters and the environment they live in to come alive. This lesson has stayed
with me all my life to guide me in the complexity of color, and continue to create and
arrange for the viewer a dynamic painting.
Leo Posillico
®LEO POSILLICO / POSILLICO P.O. Box 15138 Santa Rosa, CA 95402
TEL: 707-568-5465 EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.leoposillico.com
