The What and Why I Paint

I am a Long Islander -- born and raised.  I’ve also raised my family here.  

Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by people who have recognized and encouraged my creative spirit and nurtured my talent.  My first art experience was with a set of half-stick pastels and a Walter Foster “how-to” book from Auntie Francine, no blood relation, but a woman I considered my second mother.

I look back with awe and warmth when I think of how little one needs to ignite the creative spark, and it is beyond me how those humble tools took me all the way to an inner circle filled with NYC’s top professional artists and illustrators.  Happily, my journey has been fueled by my best friend and husband Ed, who encouraged me to “just keep painting, Reni”.

The pivotal moment in my art career occurred when my longtime art mentor and colleague, Carl Lubow nominated me as a candidate to join The Painting Group of NY.  The Greene Street studio in Soho and the professional artists I found there changed my perception of art and myself as an artist.  Their guiding philosophy had nothing to do with the business of art and everything to do with the ‘art of seeing’ -- and exploring techniques -- the what and why I paint.

I am not a formulaic painter -- I explore and experiment daily with subjects and medium.  I love people with all their rapturous eccentricities and work to capture them as honestly as I am able.

I paint the images and things I love with respect and curiosity and pour every ounce of emotion and skill into every moment I am in front of a canvas. 

Biography

With more than 20 years of classical experience, Irene Vitale is an award-winning artist from Long Island whose work creates a dialogue between the abstract energy of the surf and sky and the ephemeral beauty of the human spirit. These impressive works are great examples of how to translate elements as transitory as light, nature, and the movement of the ocean in a striking and magical way. Irene’s portrait and figure work are equally as impressive demonstrating a level of craftsmanship and refinement unique among contemporary artists.

An alumnus of The Painting Group of New York-founded and mentored by the late renowned caricaturist David Levine and the late Presidential portrait figure painter Aaron Shikler. Irene is one of 25 artists in the documentary ”Portrait of a Lady” aired on Cinemax in September 2008 celebrating Justice O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court. In conjunction with the documentary and exhibition at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. This special project was also featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Show.

Irene began her art education in pastel portraiture with Susanne Young. A recipient of the prestigious Xavier Gonzales Scholarship to The Art Students League of New York, she studied pastels with Harvey Dinnerstein. Over the years Irene’s experimental nature drew her to oil, studying with Carl Lubow followed by the late Daniel B. Schwartz at his Manhattan Atelier. In this new realm, she was able to move beyond the classic approach to ultimately expand, evoke, and infuse more emotion and experimentation in her art.

Irene Vitale is Represented by the following Galleries