anna mastronardi   artists statement & bio

"Someone once said “The purpose of art is to provide what life does not.”
I hope my work moves viewers by transcending the literal to connect with them
in a uniquely honest and personal way."

La vita e bella! Even the most casual allusion to Italy evokes centuries of outstanding artistic achievement, bringing to mind such names as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. Italians have always harbored a deep love of bellezza, or beauty, and thus it pervades every aspect of their culture—from architecture to language to food to fashion. From this deep well of cultural heritage and inspiration springs the rich and vivid imagery of Italian-born Pacific Northwest artist Anna Mastronardi.

Mastronardi immigrated with her family to the United States at age 10, and credits that disruptive event—and the ensuing language challenges—with reinforcing her natural inclination to express herself in a visual way. In 1978, she moved to the West Coast, eventually settling in the Seattle area and developing friendships with several working artists who were also involved in teaching. Befriended and mentored by abstract painter and former chairman of Cornish College of the Arts Bill Mair, she immersed herself in the study of color theory and techniques. Mastronardi’s apprenticeship during this period established the solid foundation upon which her own unique style took form.

Community arts commitment
In the spirit of supporting art’s integral relationship to communities and important causes, Mastronardi has affiliated herself with numerous fine-art juried charitable auctions, events, and associations, including:

• Group Health Foundation, Seattle, WA “Children’s Hospital”

• NW Burn Foundation, Seattle, WA

• Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA

• Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

• The Painting Center, New York, NY “Slide Registry Selection”

• Daniel Smith Inc., Seattle, WA “Juried Annual Selection”

• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA “Rental Program with SAM Gallery”

• Washington State Arts Alliance Foundation, Seattle, WA

• Women Painters of Washington

• PONCHO, Invitational Fine Art Auction, Seattle, WA

Critical acclaim
In reviewing her work for Sun Cities Museum of Art in 1996, Robert Schultz wrote:
“The paintings and drawings deal with the West and the artist’s native Italy. Fortunately, Mastronardi’s vision encompasses both the intimate and the grandiose, providing a mixture of imagery that never drifts toward the boring….The paintings are highly detailed and textural, with an interesting layering of brushwork. The artist succeeds in providing a personal interpretation of the landscape, rather than settling for a literal rendering.”

In 1999, Michael Paglia, art critic for Westwood News in Denver, Colorado wrote:
“Mastronardi is a Seattle artist who recalls the countryside of her childhood in Italy in elaborate and meticulous Prismacolor pencil drawings. Though she was born in Italy, Mastronardi moved to the United States as a child, which explains the storybook character of her romanticized scenes.”

Ever independent and original, Mastronardi works with oil sticks, colored wax pencils, found implements, even her hands. The contours, shadows, and forms expressed in her wax-pigment pencil work echo her love for the land, and are reminiscent of seminal American painter Grant Wood. Mastronardi’s oil-on-canvas work features rough, course, and bold textures to visceral effect, not unlike running one’s hands through rich soil on a sunny day in the fields.

“To me, technique is a language unto itself,” she offers. “It’s a way to express emotion and feeling and to connect with others. That connection is really what my art is about.”

Her message? La vita e bella!