Schiliro: Circular Form and Translucent Color

When I think about how Italian culture has influenced my work, I look back on my studies in Art History at Hunter College and my travels to Italy as a young artist. I was greatly inspired by Early Byzantine and Medieval Art in particular. I can remember how I felt upon seeing the mosaics in the Basilica di San Vitale and the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. The glistening gold and the sheer monumentality of the mosaics put me in awe as I moved through the space.

Giotto's frescoes in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova, as well as his frescoes in the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, were also a great source of inspiration for me. I was intrigued by the abstract qualities of the pictorial space. The shallow, compressed space leads one to focus on the emotional intensity of the stories being told.

Color and the ephemeral nature of light have been the focus of my paintings for some time now. Stained glass windows and in particular the Rose Windows in the churches in Italy have also inspired my work. I have a passion for the circular form and translucent color. Seeing light through colored glass has informed my painting and influenced my painting process over the years.