Laurino,
who studied design and color theory at the University of Connecticut, paints en
plein air in a bold representational style, producing evocative scenes of
rivers, lakes, seascapes, woodlands, farms, historic buildings, and other
iconic scenes in the Northeast.
His
compositions appear almost photographic from a vantage point of eight to 10
feet, but these are hardly just pretty pictures. Get closer to each canvas and
Laurino’s proficiency as a serious painter becomes apparent. His robust brushstrokes
form a meditative exaltation of form and texture, with individual brushstrokes pushed
toward abstraction before coalescing as a suite to masterfully depict the transformative
effect of light on landscapes and seascapes.
The
artist is inspired by the thick brushstrokes of Van Gogh, and by the
Impressionists, notably American artists Childe Hassam and Theodore Robison. He
has been painting since he was a teenager and studied with noted painter Christopher
Magadini, among others. “Laurino
doesn't fret too much over color,” Bob Bahr wrote in a January 2018 story
published in Plein Air Magazine. “He’s more concerned with texture and
brushstrokes.
The colors in a Laurino painting are very harmonious, and this is
undoubtedly attributable to his extremely limited palette. The artist only
squeezes out a cool blue, a cool red, a warm red, a [cool] yellow, and white.
His pieces tend toward a high key, with a lot of bright light.”
“I love the extremes in a painting, the dark darks, and light
lights, so I do work toward that,” Laurino says in the story. “I tend to paint
darks first and apply lights on the focal point last—last, or close to last. I
don't like working too small. I like a lot of inference, and you lose some of
that when you tighten it up.”
Laurino,
who begins with a thumbnail sketch, works on-site and finishes paintings in his
studio, is a hands-on artist from the beginning to the end of the process. He
stretches his own canvas—and he makes his own rustic frames for each of his
paintings. “I’ve always liked to make my own frames, and about 10 years or so
ago I started using reclaimed materials,” the artist says. “I just like working
with the wood that’s a little older, a little roughed up.”
A
resident of Burlington, Conn., Laurino paints often in western Connecticut, and
favors the Finger Lakes region among many preferred locales in the Northeast.
Laurino
has paintings in numerous private collections, and is a longstanding member of
the prestigious Lyme Art Association, where he exhibits frequently. In 2019,
the artist won the Artists’ Choice Award at the Parrsboro International Plein
Air Festival in Nova Scotia, and in 2018 he won a third-place award in the
Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition & Festival. His juried show participation
includes the Granby Land Trust Art Show and the seaARTS Maritime Exhibit in
Gloucester, Mass.
The
artist has had a selection of works at the Gregory James Gallery about a year.
“I’m so pleased with that arrangement,” he says.
For more information, call the Gregory
James Gallery at (860) 354-3436, or see the website at gregoryjamesgallery.com.
The artist’s website is jimlaurino.com.
