Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom De Vita.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story started in Queens, New York, where I was born and raised. It was an Italian neighborhood of tough guys and all I wanted was to sculpt or paint flowers and people. Needless to say, I was discouraged as a young man from pursuing Fine Arts as a career and I was forced to settle on Graphic Design. My grades slipped as did my aspirations of becoming the person I wanted to be.
One momentous day, a painting professor, whom I will never forget. looked at me in the eyes and said “you’re going to be a painter!” It was as if the Universe spoke to me. The lights got brighter, the world got sharper. It changed my life and I changed my major and never looked back.
While at St. John’s University, now pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, and supporting myself by being in the Laborer’s Union, with a shovel and jackhammer on the coldest of Manhattan winters, I had a new vision. I was on a journey of art and I went to gallery openings and lectures with cement splattered boots with an attentive eye and an earnest heart.
I became the assistant to Lyrical Abstractionist Dan Christensen in New York City. Through him, I learned the true lifestyle of the artist, the glory, the drudgery, from creation to the exhibition. Through him, I met many artists, dealers, and art critic Clement Greenburg. It was a true education.
After I graduated in 1993, I moved to South Beach, where I found art opportunities with the newly emerging cafes and renovated hotels. I did murals for private residences, restorations for churches, portraits, fine art and Illustrations. It was a glorious time in South Beach – a sort of cultural renaissance. I met Lynda, my wife, a fellow artist, on Lincoln Road. She was an art professor, teaching Fashion Design, Illustration, and Drawing.
In 2009, I received my Master of Fine Arts at Miami International University of Art & Design. Soon after, I started teaching at Broward College, Barry University, and The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where I was a full-time Painting and Drawing Professor.
I became the recipient of the Duane Hanson Allied Artist Fellowship, I had a solo exhibition in the East Gallery of the Coral Springs Museum of Art in 2015, exhibited a solo exhibition at The Lee Wagener Art Gallery at The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in 2013, The Artist in Residence for the City of Pembroke Pines, Florida from 2014-2015 and now I serve on the Public Art Advisory Board for Pembroke Pines, Florida.
In 2015, while visiting Rembrandt’s studio in Amsterdam, Lynda and I experienced his home, printing press, classroom and working studio. We made the decision to put all our efforts into developing an Academy that concentrated on the traditional methods of art education while promoting creativity and exploration, without the restraints of grading or semesters. We opened De Vita Academy of Art soon after.
De Vita Academy of Art has flourished since its inception through the pandemic, supported by the love of artists and the quest to learn more about this wonderful tradition. All my life’s efforts have been galvanized into creating the best Art Academy we could imagine. But most importantly, I want to be that special teacher, like the one who inspired me and be able to change lives!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey of the artist is never a smooth road. However, as with all great endeavors, one starts off with some sort of trepidation upon that untrodden path into the unknown. Luckily, built into the system, the art life has a way of weeding out the half-hearted. Those with true convictions persevere through and never give up. In the end, it’s a spiritual “calling” so it’s hard for any true artist to turn their back on it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My point of departure is figurative realism. My work is an exploration in finding harmony in the discord of seemingly unrelated and ambiguous objects, animals, and people. I seek to find the inferences that are cultivated by the confluence of the expected with the unexpected and with the old and the new.
My heart truly lies in the tradition of the old Masters. I yearn to bring back into contemporary art the narrative, realism, and the mysteries that are made with skill and determination that makes you think and feel.
My paintings are in oil on wood, linen, and canvas. I use many techniques in my oil paintings to achieve the spirit I am searching for, such as glazing, impasto, bistre, grisaille, and alla prima. Sometimes, I even sand down to deeper layers to excavate that spirit.
This past November, as I was chosen as the premier artist for the Business for the Arts, Art + Stroll Exhibition and two of my paintings, “The Haloed Prince” and “The Blood Moon Princess”, were both showcased on the exhibition poster. I was so honored.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Spreading the word about De Vita Academy of Art can truly make a difference in the art community. There are many who love art, want to learn more about art, but may have been led astray or have been dissuaded by the weirdness that prevails in the art community. They feel alienated by a bewildering elitist art world.
Our school is a beacon of hope to those who hold onto the traditional and classical ideals of realist art. We are here to pass on this tradition to future generations of artists and art teachers.
Contact Info:
- Email: TOM@DVAART.COM
- Website: www.tomdevita.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomdevita/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DVAART
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXU1rtYUpPJ0DVRE0QOcMhg
- Other: www.DVAART.com
Image Credits
Tom De Vita
