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" Heart of L.A. (Ciao, Kobe)"
“Heart of L.A. (Ciao ,Kobe) 56” x 46” Acrylic and mixed media on wood panel (Private Collection)
As it is with all iconic figures tragically having left this life, the requests for commemorative art after their passing is overwhelming. I am very particular about the subjects I choose to honour as I must have some feeling of connection in order to immerse myself completely as an artist, and without reservation or over-contemplation.
I chose not to dwell on the tragedy, or the well-deserved emotional overload which accompanies the sudden loss of nine lives so relevant to their communities. I did this deliberately, and with total respect. I chose Kobe only. Kobe, the flawed human, who through doing what he did best, inspired so many to rise above mediocrity. How he lived was the message. Overcoming adversity. Beating the odds. Improving as you continue to live in all the important areas of life: family, mentorship, charity, accountability, duty, ethics, taking responsibility. Standing up to be counted upon. Setting an example for future generations. It's funny-nothing that truly matters when we remember involves bling of any kind- true riches have more to do with character, and learning from one's mistakes. The central message is clear: "We can always kind of be average, and do what's normal. I'm not in this to do what's normal. Everything negative-pressure, challenges- is all an opportunity for me to rise".
It is a message that perhaps resonates even more in a difficult time. It summons up courage, determination and the spirit necessary to overcome- and thrive.
Many thanks to the collector who commissioned : "Heart of L.A.:"Ciao, Kobe".....may it deliver a daily dose of positivity!
-Adamo
"Moderne"
“Moderne” 48” x 72” acrylic and mixed media on canvas
We are proud to present this beautiful new geometric abstract piece. The wonderful play of hard geometry, drips, soft edges and pattern are all marks of the master painter Pietro Adamo. For any inquires send us a message with our provide form.
-JC (Curator)
"Connection" Opening Night
We would like to thank Hampton Gallery and their incredible staff for hosting the opening night of Pietro Adamo’s solo show “ Connection” in Montreal. For those of you interested in where the show title came from
here’s an excerpt from Adamo’s biography-
In the summer of 1967, I was lucky enought to travel to Montreal to
experience Expo 67 with my “cool” cousins who had moved to the city. I saw
THE FUTURE. I saw MODERN. I experienced the fashion, the new ideas, the new art ( it did not look like anything i had ever seen! ). There to party, but I absorbed so much more.
At the time, the CN Tower was a glint in some architect’s eye, and despite the Leafs-Habs bitter rivalry, Montreal was definitely Canada’s largest and most progressive city. I returned to T.O. having been thoroughly loosened up. My outlook had changed. I was still a kid, but my artscape was beginning to mature. It was then that I began to realize the value of seeing and observing as being just as important as the action of drawing and painting. I realized that art was more than Da Vinci and Michelangelo. These crazy Pieces by Riopelle, Molinari, Snow- they too had merit. I remember thinking: “ This is more like the world today” and “ that’s kind of what living feels like today”. It contrasted sharply with the art we were doing in which representation was key. If it didn’t look like anything, it couldn’t be anything! Oh but it was...and so much more.
It was : EXPRESSION.- Pietro Adamo
Don’t forget , if you couldn’t make it that evening ,the show is on until Dec. 6.
Hampton Gallery Solo Show
We are very proud to announce Pietro Adamo’s solo show at Hampton Gallery in Montreal. For more info
check out their website here hamptongallery.com
"Blissful"
The universe has a way. As it turns out, the "unlikeliest" of commissions came as a truly welcomed diversion from across the globe. As the conversation went back and forth between the collector and our curator, it became apparent we were dealing with a person with a passion for good design, art and life itself. It soon became clear that we had much in common.
I thought about our common ancestry- from a tiny spit of land called Calabria to two huge nations in Canada and Australia. The irony might be that if we broke into our ancient dialect, we might actually understand each other. Those languages have all but disappeared in Calabria, despite efforts to preserve them. Lord knows it would take some time to pick up on the Aussie accent. I'm sure he'd also have a tough time talkin' Canadian eh? But a common culture can span time and space. Art and music do the same.
And so I am toasting the completion of "Blissful" with a panino and a glass of Barbaresco. She'll soon be on her way down under to adorn the wall of a beautifully designed home for a young and happy family.
Grazie mille, e tanti saluti !
Pietro
P.S....ahhh...that was good. Topping it off with a canoli, and espresso sambuca. Salute!
"Blissful" 40x48 acrylic on canvas, 2019 by Pietro Adamo. Private Commission, Sydney, Australia
Sunshine Smile
Sunshine Smile 56” x 46” Acrylic on wood panel (Private Collection)
Icons have become somewhat of a tradition in today's art. I came to them quite by accident. In doing so, I summoned memories of having grown up in the sixties, and of having felt the "real" presence of some of these larger-than-life stars. For some people, there is always a positive, happy vibe associated with that time, and with some of those icons, despite the tragic nature of some of their fates.
For me, the Icon series has always been about the nostalgia. I recall, as a young boy, growing up in the Christie Pits area of Toronto, passing by the Gibson Broom Company on my way to Essex Street Public School. As a young kid, I was always interested in things that were drawn or painted. In those days, sign painting, and advertising by signage were prevalent, and perhaps more important as an ad medium than they are today.
In evoking the image of an icon today, does the artist then forego the notion that the Icon is the subject? Does the true subject, considering all of the interpretations in today's flooded art supermarket, now become the artist's take on the icon?
Some faces have been rendered so often, and by so many, that they have been left as soulless.
I'll admit that in depicting Marylin, I wanted to know as much about her life as possible prior to paying homage, and, as such, throwing my hat into the ring. I did my research, and I am satisfied that I have continued to treat the subject with respect.
We are borrowing the image, as artists: so that we can express what we want to say, very often with little regard for the "essence" of the icon. Their images have become a commodity.
My Icon series is centered on the signage. The fact that these pieces are made in an old-school manner, and that the imperfections are celebrated rather than polished and hidden is actually part of the subject. Those old signs, painted and re-painted, exposed to the elements were gems. I can still see them in my mind's eye. Colours seeping through, rivets, rust, running paint, layer upon layer. The passage of time recorded for the world to behold. It all depended on how you looked at it. Perhaps the passage of the years has softened everything and made it tolerable, less acidic. Ours was a truly pre-graffiti era, and so I have rendered my pieces in that spirit.
Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time 56” x 46” Acrylic on wood panel
When I finished painting the Once Upon A Time, the Raptors were down 2-0 to the Bucks. It looked grim, but a steadfast, even-keeled #2 told an interviewer that to be a championship team, they'd have to overcome adversity.
I was inspired to go to my studio the night of the "shot". I've never sketched and painted so quickly. To create the final image is a process, however, and so the Raps would be down by two by the time the piece was ready for showing.
Tonight, however, on this Thursday night in May, the completed piece rests in the window of Hazelton Gallery. My curators decided to "launch" it at the right moment as the Raptors have won 3 straight since then. On Saturday, #2 and his band of brothers will get a chance at Raptor history. My personal good luck charm in the form of a tribute painting, judging by the furor on Facebook and Instagram, has played a small role in all of this. In this season of finales, in this season of magical moments, the piece acquired a GOT vibe to it, but unlike the final season of the drama, the piece has not disappointed. And the Raptors, no matter what happens, have not disappointed their fans, and this city.
Monsieur LEONARD was born a Raptor forever on the night he sealed the deal with Philly. On that night, he shone as if he was the Northern King, come to steal the iron throne. Since that night, his legend has continued to expand, and in the minds of basketball fans everywhere, he has been placed in the company of the game's all-time elite.
So the moment, as I saw it, had him in golden glow, with the ball on fire, and himself a crimson and purple Raptor in emergence.
Signed, sealed and delivered. Everything from here on in is gravy.
At this writing, the team is up 3-2 on the monstrous Bucks, and may advance with a victory on home court.
Artistic inspiration can from anywhere, any moment.
Once upon a Time there was a Raptor King....
Check out our "Four Leaf Clover" in the window at Hazelton Gallery, Yorkville...TORONTO!
Rebirth of Venus
Standards of beauty change from century to century, or from generation to generation. In this era, they seem to change with each passing tweet. Nonetheless, we can gaze into the past and catch a glimpse of what an ideal Renaissance standard might be in Botticelli's Venus. Appropriating such a piece means treating it with the respect it deserves, and so the one and only Marylin could ever possibly grace the Rebirth of Venus.
She seems comfortable and at home in the midst of the classical figures by Botticelli. Picked out of a series of black and white stills, she seems to usher in her justifiable technicolour debut which should come into focus any second now. Or maybe never.
No, there is no graffiti. No Mickey Mouse. No Einsteins holding up Love is the Answer placards. Ah, but of course, there is a bird! It's springtime. Rebirth. Of course! "I've got sunshine...and the month of May"....my girl...of course!!!
RELAX. It's a painting. Just a painting. Make of it what you will.
But it is the month of May, and if you are in town (Yorkville) and wish to witness the Rebirth of Venus, do visit the Hazelton Gallery.
….I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way...
Rebirth of Venus, 48x60 acrylic on wood panel, Hazelton Gallery, Toronto
The Stars in my Studio: A Special delivery in this time of Easter and Passover
What are we made of? What comprises us? We are at once sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, partners, friends, mothers, fathers, nephews, nieces, aunts and uncles. A universe in each and every one of us. In each and every one of us a unique perspective. No two are alike. Not even twins.
Some science suggests that we could be nothing more than part of a matrix, a simulation, and that the truth can be found in mathematics. Math is a man-made concept, is it not?
Our inherent arrogance leads us to believe that we can eventually get to the bottom of it all.
Do we truly want to arrive at the nothingness that is the all-knowing, collective everything?
We are comprised of the encapsulated moments that give our lives meaning. Meaning, significance, spirituality: perhaps they are losing steam as science marches on and attempts to replace them with pragmatism.
I would beg to differ. I admit to not being able to wrap my head around some of the latest discoveries, and that the notion of earth itself being but a grain of sand in the universe freaks me out.
Why then, does it all seem to become clear and make perfect sense when I stare into my grandson's Aegean blue eyes?
Today I delivered a piece which is not about ego (mine or the subject's) or any kind of narcissism. Rather, it is entirely about Gratitude. It speaks of family pride and love, and of the special moments which comprise a unique life. A one-of-a-kind, never again, forever and -a-day special, meaningful gift of a life.
We should take a moment each day to remember that there's a place where there's no space or time.
A special thanks to Andrea at ADM Design Inc. for making it all happen.
