A prominent artist in the Dallas Jesuit community and just a senior, Charlie Turano has unveiled his latest work, titled “Rise.” Donated to the Community Service Department, this acrylic painting took Turano almost four months to carefully create, and is the first in the new direction that Turano plans on taking with his art.
As the name suggests, this painting depicts the skyline of Dallas, but there is a deeper meaning to his work. “We have different service sites…and each is different,” says Turano, “but still has the big overlapping picture of helping others, and the bigger picture here is helping Dallas be a better Dallas.”
Upon seeing “Rise,” Mr. Richard Perry of the Community Service Department immediately marveled at the complexity of the piece, saying, “It represents Dallas and the texture and diversity of Dallas, and the texture and diversity of community service.” Mr. Perry also admired the fact that “each small piece is so vibrant, it’s a piece by itself.”
Charlie, who has been painting for over 7 years, credits his Italian heritage for the art style. Modeling the kind of simplistic yet vivid art that is created in his hometown of Riposto, Italy, Charlie has developed his own style of abstract art. However, with “Rise,” Charlie decided to paint a more realistic interpretation of Dallas. According to Charlie, “most of my earlier works are just emotions or abstract feelings, but this is a concrete thing. We can go to Dallas, but we can’t go to ‘anger.’”
An important part of design process for Charlie was meditation, which was needed to reflect on the community service that is done
throughout the year by Jesuit students. Even though his art might “look very easy on the surface,” as Turano says, “once you get into the logistics, it’s quite complex.” Charlie chose to research all the buildings represented in the painting, and went through numerous sketches to finalize his design. Another reason it is so complex is “because this painting is layered, you can’t do it in one sitting. It takes time to apply the stroke, let it dry, and then repeat this process.”
Because this is a new direction for Charlie’s art, be sure to stay informed by checking out his website (http://www.ripostoart.com/#), his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RipostoArt), and his YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/RipostoArt).
