ISX 1.01 - The Simple Wisdom Of Reality

Mirror : 70 CC4
Jon D'Orazio, 1991
70" x 70"
Polymer and mixed media on canvas

THE SIMPLE WISDOM OF REALITY
The Paintings of Jon D'Orazio

Jon D'Orazio is an acclaimed, New York artist and long-time Buddhist practitioner. He received his master's degree in architectural design from Columbia University in 1968, but soon realized that his vocation was to be a painter. After a two year stint with the architectural firm, Gruzen and Partners, D'Orazio moved into Westbeth artists' housing. He has devoted himself to painting ever since.

His early paintings expressed the energy and light of the urban environment with vivid, florescent colors. He later turned to the study of the natural world. In a series of landscapes, D'Orazio explored the spaciousness of nature with warm and subtle colored washes on large canvases. During the winter of 1973, he painted numerous snowscapes in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The painter's work ripened with the changing seasons. "The paintings grew richer," he observes, "the paint got thicker, and my work slowly leaned towards abstraction. Having expressed the elements of nature, I now felt ready to work with space." D'Orazio describes the process as a natural evolution. He writes: "Beyond nature's elements---earth, water, fire, and air---an original ground appears, that of basic space. Vastness can be felt like a cosmic mirror. Very ordinary. Very basic. Unconditional. The simple wisdom of reality."

The simple wisdom of reality radiates from his Mirror Paintings. "The Mirror Paintings," says D'Orazio, "are a body of abstraction, concerned with space and pure perception." The vision of the work is expansive. They communicate "openness and awareness beyond conceptual overlays." Because they are composed of basic shapes (circles, diamonds and squares), the paint, as well as mixed media and resins, reflects light so that the movement of the viewer and the angle of light are integral in experiencing them. "The work," he remarks, "demands patience and the nakedness of open mind. The quality of their surfaces, tones, and colors invite fresh passion, awareness, and wonder."

With the completion of Mirror Paintings, D'Orazio began a new series, Drala Crests, which maintains the abstract character of Mirror Paintings, but incorporates the natural, elemental, energies that inspired his earlier landscapes. Also included in his portfolio are a number of Diptychs, simple color expressions that were inspired by Mirror Paintings. Many of these works have been represented in group shows since 1990.

Jon D'Orazio's paintings can be found in corporate and private collections across the globe. His work has been featured in many of New York's finest galleries over the last thirty years. His dharma art includes Ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement). He is also a student of Oriental medicine and Tai Chi.

Visit also: jondorazio.com