Artist Statement:

I see my work as a way to capture light at one moment in time.  When I’m confronted with a scene that I must paint, it is because the elements of light are present in a unique way.  I am always searching for that special situation where I can convert the focus of light into strokes of paint.

I have chosen oil paint to achieve my goal.  The limitation of using paint to render the effects of light are the challenge I work with every day.  I create landscapes, still lives, figures and portraits in my quest.  I am also drawing with pencil, keeping my focus on the female portrait.

Bio:

Joe Oliveri loved to paint pictures all his life.  Born in Westchester County New York, he struggled with the choice of going to art school or to a more formal college to study business.  He chose business school, built a career in real estate in Manhattan, got married had two daughters, and move to Fairfield County, Ct.

In 2009 he suffered a massive stoke.  He was paralyzed on his right side including his dominant right arm.  During his recovery he picked up a pencil with his left hand and drew portraits and figures.  By 2013 he started to paint in oils, left-handed.  His painting improved.  Soon his left-handed work surpassed what his right hand had done in painting.  Then he began to read and study the art of instructors at The Art Students League, where he learned the importance of light and shadow in oil painting.

He is a member of The Ridgefield Guild of Artists, Ridgefield, Ct; the Stanley L. Richter Association for the Arts, Danbury Ct; the Kent Art Association, Kent Ct. and the Washington Art Association, Washington Depot Ct.  He currently is studying with Edward  Spauding DeVoe at the Washington Art Association. His paintings include landscapes, still lives, figures, and portraits.  He also does pencil drawings, focusing on the portrait.