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Artist Don Fusco, of Hopedale, Ohio, works with care to achieve the emotional impact of his paintings.. For instance, a small, white country church surrounded by snow and flanked by trees, under his skillful brush, becomes symbolic of the melding of earth and heaven. Reflected in the still waters of a pond, the church with its steeple, pointing skyward presents a sense of the all-encompassing beauty of God’s creation. It’s a scene to live with and enjoy, one that will constantly yield new meaning. “A good number of people walk by my booth at Shaker Woods and a particular painting catches their attention,” the painter says. “It’s a case of love at first sight and although they may not have planned to buy a painting, they want it enough to change their perception about traditional art and craft show shopping.” A versatile painter, Fusco majors in rural landscapes, using a technique he’s perfected over many years. “I apply the paint very wet, very thin. Then, I blot with a paper towel as I go along,” he says. “This gives my paintings a look that is more akin to water color than oil.” He works on primed illustration board, applying gesso as a base coat. Watercolors often present the impression of diffusion because the color spreads on the paper as it’s applied. “The gesso acts as a base that retards diffusion. The lines are cleaner. Some have even said my work looks so real it’s like a photograph. I convince you that what I paint is real when I actually manipulate reality.” He combines research with artistry to create stunning super-reality. His paintings are an artist’s perception of his subject. Research is a day of driving the back roads within a 150-mile radius of his home. He doesn’t like to draw. He thinks of drawing as vastly different than the painting he loves. He uses a camera instead of a pencil to capture a barn, a tractor, a tree, or a water pump that has potential. A file of pictures of these components makes it possible for him to accurately portray the elements in a composition that exploits arrangement, light and shadows to create a landscape. Although you will see examples of his still life, floral paintings, a waterfront or cityscape, in his booth, these aren’t his major emphasis as an artist or as an exhibitor at Shaker Woods. “People come to Shaker Woods expecting to buy rural scenes and I love to paint these kinds of scenes. I grew up near Cleveland, but found my real home in a small town,” he says. As early as kindergarten, Don was showing his artistic talent. Awards came easily and in junior high school, he was often excused from class to help teachers with posters and displays. In college, he decided that he wanted to illustrate children’s books and he set his sights on a job with Hallmark. “I majored in design at Miami University in Ohio,” he says. “I met my wife there and after graduation we took off for Kansas where I spent ten years working for Hallmark.” At first the work was artistically satisfying, although he wasn’t a book illustrator. He was responsible for a series of cards that sold exceptionally well. He became a designer/supervisor, teaching others. “It was gratifying that the cards sold well and I was paid well, but I had discovered acrylic painting and felt I needed to have more freedom to express myself as an artist. I had accomplished my goals at Hallmark and I was beginning to feel burned out.” He and his wife agreed that it was time to move back east and re-establish their roots in Ohio. “I’ve always been practical,” Don says. “When you start working as a paperboy at 11, you learn to appreciate what it takes to make a living. When you are successful financially, you realize that money isn’t everything. “We took a risk and 20-years later, I look back and I’m thankful that I can do something I really love. © Copyright ShakerWoods.com |
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