I am a painter working in a medium/large format. Nature is 
my platform of study.  Specifically, I work with telescpopic 
images of celestial bodies (galaxies, nebulaes and planets), 
and panoramic/satellite images of extreme conditions of our 
planet’s landscape (hurricanes, tornados and volcanic 
eruptions).  My paintings, which are crafted in oil, consist 
of dyptics and tryptics incorporating both abstract and 
representational images. I distinguish clearly the parts that 
make up the whole by separating areas of vivid brushstrokes 
and bold color fields from areas of definition and detail.  
The appropiation of dyptics and tryptics in formal compositions 
is influenced by religious art, strongly present through my 
Catholic upbringing in Southern Italy.  My intent is to place 
the viewer on a thin thread between the macro and the 
micro-cosm, calling them to reflect upon their own sense of 
placement, and to question conventional notions of linear 
space/time.  Through the use of multiple canvases and 
separation of paint applications I create a distinct line in 
the composition that can be interpreted as both a directional 
cue or an obstruction.  I have titled my current series Spatial. 
Each painting is given an ambiguous title often referencing an 
undefined time, place, or both.  The Last Day of May is the 
first painting of the series.  It measures 77 inches across by 
49 in height.  It is a composite of two canvases, one square 
(49 x 49) and the other rectangular (28 x 49).  The square 
canvas is a dipiction of the spiral galaxy M51, also known as 
the Whirlpool galaxy.  The backdrop of the galaxy is painted 
in cobalt and prussian blues, which are both strong in hue 
and create intense darks.  The spiraling arms of the galaxy 
move from less intense blues to olive green to a naples yellow 
core, bursting with sporadic energetic pockets of red. The 
galaxy is spliced just off the core by the rectangular canvas, 
a field painting of expressive brushstrokes that mimic both the 
movement of the galaxy and its four prominent colors (mars red, 
ivory black, olive green and a grayer shade of prussian blue).  
The image had been in the works for over two years through a 
series of computer studies and watercolor sketches executed 
during a long and emotional sabbatical through Europe.  During 
that time I was faced with the challenge of looking at life 
through the relationship between the infinitely small and the 
infinitely large.  The painting was completed on May 31, 2006.  
Since then there have been 8 other paintings in the series and 
several more in progress.  The series has also expanded into 
drawing and video.