2006

The purpose of The Biography Project is for participants to gain pride through telling the stories of how and why they became artists. For her winter/spring 2006 internship with fresh art, Biansa Cox, an undergraduate student at The New School University, interviewed and photographed artists at three social service agencies/supportive housing facilities. Here are Biansa's interviews with the artists as well as her photographs of the artists and artwork.

Project Renewal

Project Renewal is a leading organization in the fight against homelessness. Through residential programs, outreach, treatment and substance abuse rehabilitation, as well as employment training and job placement, they work to revitalize and renew the lives of New York City’s homeless. Their efforts have provided many people another chance at self-sufficiency and independent living.

fresh art had the opportunity to interview men working within the art room at the Third Street residence in downtown Manhattan. Their shared experience illuminates the importance of Project Renewal’s programs.

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Greg Johnson • My first interview at Project Renewal was with Greg Johnson.Very open to my curiosity, Greg appeared a seasoned artist with clear ideas about his inspirations and sensibility- so much so that I was surprised to find out he has been painting for only eight months. An expressive writer of poetry for twenty-eight years, Greg ostensibly stumbled into the art room looking for a quiet place where he could think and write. One of the facility art teachers and artist himself, Geoff Rawlings, encouraged Greg to try painting, telling him that all writers are artists.

For Greg, this proved true. His style is unmistakably his own; drawing on his studies in history as well as his love for comic books, each painting truly engages the viewer with its bright colors and vigorous subject matter.

Greg was very interested in my impressions of his work. We spoke about the symbolism and historical qualities in his paintings. He made it clear that he wants to grow as an artist and hopes that his work will inspire others to try new ideas. Greg’s main concern is not perfection, but rather “bringing something unique into existence,” and “defining grace.”

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Esteban Carrion • Esteban Carrion painted throughout our interview, asking periodically how I liked the progression of his work. We were always in accord: “It’s beautiful, don’t you think?”

Each of Esteban’s paintings is a burst of beauty and contrast. His method of painting is natural, fluid, and heartfelt. He works directly from his inner world to the paper, each painterly movement coalescing into his unique vision.

For Esteban, the aesthetic value is what drives his work and he knows it when he sees it. Simply put, he says, “We all want to look our best, no?” And this is readily seen in his powerful explosions of organic and flower-like shapes, textured scenery, and multi-colored, linear buildings. The occasional figures, biomorphic or geometric, evoke unique interpretations from each viewer, but rarely miss that fundamental beauty.

But beauty isn’t the only result in his work- Esteban’s entire process brings tranquility to him and the daily pressures that he faces. His time at Project Renewal has shown him the importance of art in his life and allowed him to take it seriously.

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Village Adult Day Health Center

Village Adult Day Health Center is a community based not-for-profit organization serving older adults and persons in need of medical, rehabilitation and continuing services. The center offers a comprehensive therapeutic recreational program of creative arts.

Eileen Cullen • From the moment she set foot at Village Adult Day Health Center, Eileen Cullen has been participating in the art room. Her patience and deep consideration of her work is one of the first things I notice. “I create a completed visual image in my mind before attempting to begin,” she says. The product of Eileen’s forethought is a piece that exudes a delicate power.

Her art teacher, Pat, noticed something special in Eileen’s line quality and approached her about collaborating on a portrait project, which now consists of about 32 exquisite portraits and is still growing. It is clear from looking at their collaboration that Eileen takes great care in color choice and subsequent layering of those colors.

When I ask Eileen what drives her work, she says that she is “creating a toolbox for the future.” She explains how art has allowed her to grow and learn techniques, asking, “Who ever thinks that colored pencils could bring knowledge?”

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Francis Vitiello • Using repetitive pattern and occasionally overlapping shapes, Francis Vitiello creates a quilt of color. Once decided on the appropriate choice of colored pencil or marker, he systematically fills in the page block by block, twisting and turning the sheet as necessary to complete each section. When his hands get stiff, he pauses, takes a deep breath, and keeps on going.

Francis works tirelessly within the outlines of his shapes and colors using an even-handed, back and forth pressure. By remaining within his self-imposed limits, the resulting image manages to transcend the individual forms. Each piece is delightfully and identifiably graced by the Francis panache.

Francis began making art at home, but became more prolific with his arrival at Village Adult Day Health Center. When I ask him why he thinks this is so, he explains that at the center he has a designated time and place at which he can dedicate himself to his work. When I ask him what makes him want to continue making art, he responds quickly and directly with a no-nonsense “I like it.”

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Peter Stroles • Peter Stroles finds his artistic inspiration in nature. I caught him drawing a bird in its nest; with a flick of his wrist, his lines captured the essence of the animal in quick staccato strokes.

Peter frequently uses the color red in his paintings explaining, “It stands out more than the other colors.” In his portraiture, the red-faced heads seem to burst forward, floating amidst a sea of yellow or orange.

Peter tells me that prior to his time at Village Adult Day Health Center he had tried weaving, beadwork, decoupage (which he still works on), and even ceramics. When he arrived at Village Adult Day, Pat, the center’s art teacher, introduced him to watercolors- now his preferred medium. He often supplements the watercolors with an underlying layer of waxy crayon or oil pastel, repelling the water and giving the finished piece a three-dimensional quality.

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Center for Urban Community Service
at The Prince George,
a Common Ground residence

CUCS is a national non-profit organization based in New York City that provides a continuum of housing and services for homeless, disabled, at risk and low-income people.

Anthony Hanley • becomes “absorbed” by his work. Recently his thoughts have turned toward abstract subject matter including doubt, miracles, death, and the universe. At age 91, he is asking himself the big questions, and the ongoing debate is evident in his work.

Mr. Hanley’s use of shape and his keen sense of color are critical to the experience of his artwork. From pitch-black to jet-black, or coal-black to ebony, his subtle blending guides the viewer almost unwittingly into a collision of color. The resulting depth, floating within it a myriad of free-form shapes, proves as expansive, infinite, and abstract as the universe he has been pondering.

Although he cannot explain why he is so driven to paint, nor from where, exactly, his vision stems, Mr. Hanley knows that his life experience and place in society have contributed greatly to his artistic ability. “As a boy I looked at the work of artists like Renoir and thought they must be superhuman,” he said. Now he understands that it takes diligence, focus, and desire.

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click here to see:
The Biography Project: 1999-2002

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