Paolo was born in Modena, Italy. After scientific studies at the local lycée, he moved to Pisa where he earned a Masters Degree in Computer Science. In 1995, Paolo moved to Laguna Beach, California, to study at University of California Irvine, and subsequently to work as a network engineer for an nationwide Internet Service Provider (ISP). So how did Paolo develop his interest in art? In 2004 Paolo met renowned maestro Javier Alvarez Palomar in Laguna Beach CA, and from that point, art became Paolo's main interest. By 2005 he was dedicating himself to art on a full-time basis. Maestro Javier Alvarez took him on journey of learning through classical and modern idioms, from the chiaroscuro to abstract expressionism, using different media: oil, acrylic, pastel, charcoal, watercolors. You can trace some of these explorations in the Archives section of my website. The teacher-‐student relationship soon developed into friendship, and to this day Maestro Alvarez remains a "lighthouse of art" for Paolo. Maestro Alvarez's approach to art is based on his conviction that, "I can teach you how to paint, but I can't teach you to paint: that is your personal engagement in art!" In 2006 Paolo moves to Trieste, Italy, where he studied with various local artists. An abstract painting from this period based on a view of the gulf of Trieste from Molo Audace become the cover of a book on the philosophy of Jacques Derrida in 2012. In 2010 Paolo moved to New York to study at the Art Student League, to which he was admitted as a full member 2011. At the League Paolo has worked with a range of artists always with a view to exploring different avenues of creativity and consolidating his own personal style: Mary Beth McKenzie, Terence Coyle, Costa Vavagiakis, Gary Sussman, Frank O'Cain, Bruce Dorfman are some of the artists Paolo have been studying with. Recognition for Paolo's art came from his earliest days at the League: on a number of occasions he has been awarded the jury's "Blue Dot" – for highly commended work – in class shows. He also received the Ruth Katzman Scholarship for the Artist-‐ in-‐Residency Program at the League's Vytlacil Campus for 2012. Most recently, Paolo's journey of artistic exploration has led him to study mixed media with Bruce Dorfman. In so doing, Paolo's aim is to investigate the creation of pictorial space using the four key components of color, value, intensity and texture. Any one of these components might be assigned priority in a given work. In this most recent phase, Paolo's paintings become assemblages, where the canvas edges are often "broken" by different elements. Some of these works have a sculptural feeling, reminiscent of bas-‐relief. Despite the undeniably contemporary nature of these works, they preserve the classical elements of lines, planes, etching and cross-‐etching, albeit using a range of materials that includes unconventional elements such as copper and burlap. Glazing also has a fundamental importance in Paolo's work, creating the transparencies and translucencies he seeks. In short, his work encompasses modern composition and formal elements without abandoning key classical components. Paolo uses only permanent artist grade paints to guarantee the archival quality of his work.
ARTIST STATEMENT My main aim is to investigate the creation of pictorial space using the four key components of color, value, intensity and texture. In my most recent phase, my paintings became assemblages, where the canvas edges are often "broken" by different elements. Some of these works have a sculptural feeling, reminiscent of bas-‐relief. Despite the contemporary nature of these works, they preserve the classical elements of lines, planes, etching and cross-‐etching, albeit using a range of materials that includes unconventional elements such as copper and burlap. Glazing also has a fundamental importance in my work, creating the transparencies and translucencies I seeks. In short, my work encompasses modern composition and formal elements without abandoning key classical components.
SHOWS
November 2015 : Group Shows at First Street Gallery , 526 west 26th NY;
May 2015 : Sing For Hope NY : Pianos Operation in NY. Selected to paint one of the 50 pianos that were distributed in the city during the month of June 2015
May 2014: Representation by Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art - Laguna Beach , California ;
October-December 2013 : Laguna Beach City Hall Juried Exhibition, Laguna Beach, CA
July - November 2013 : Wells Fargo-CAP Gallery : Group show Southern California Artists Association, Laguna Beach, CA
May 2013 : Selected to be part of a group exhibition through the Art Student League -NY -‐Outreach program at A.T. Kearney Inc. in Times Square, NY;
April 2013 : Sing For Hope NY : Pianos Operation in NY. Selected to paint one of the 88 pianos that were distributed in the city during the month of June 2013.
December 2012 : Art Students League ‐NY Holiday Exhibition, group show (2 artworks sold), Art Students League of New York,NY,USA;
April 2012 : Art Students League ‐NY show concours (Terence Coyle), group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA;
March 2012 : Art Students League‐NY show concours (Frank O'Cain), group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA (awarded "Blue Dot", Special Mention);
December 2011 : Art Students League-‐NY Holiday Exhibition, group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA;
July 2011 : Night of a Hundred Angels, group show, Whelean Galleries, Laguna Beach,CA,USA;
May 2011 : Art Students League -NY show concours (Gary Sussman), group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA;
April 2011 : Art Students League-‐NY show concours (Terence Coyle), group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA (awarded "Blue Dot", Special Mention);
February 2011 : Art Students League-‐NY show concours (Frank O'Cain), group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA (awarded "Blue Dot", Special Mention);
December 2010 : Art Student League-‐NY Holiday Exhibition, group show, Art Students League of New York,NY,USA;
February 2010 : Southern California Artist Association, solo show, Laguna Beach,CA,USA;
March 2006 : Accademia del Vedere, group show, Trieste,Italy;
E-mail: paolo@pecchi.com Website: www.pecchi.com
