
BLYTHEWOOD – As far back as he can remember, Blythewood’s Bill Giarratana, 71, says he’s been drawing. But it wasn’t until he retired nine years ago that he became a serious artist. Today, he stays busy with consignment work – mostly pet portraits, landscapes and abstracts – and his paintings have been featured in galleries in New York, Virginia, and New Jersey. He is currently preparing to show his work in a new gallery opening soon in Pittsburgh.
Giarratana grew up in New Jersey and moved to Blythewood last summer after stints in Waxhaw, NC and Leesburg, VA.
He says he comes from a long line of creative people on his father’s side of the family. His father, Dominick, 101, lives with Giarratana and his wife Barbara and is still painting, mostly churning out copies of the masters these days.
“When I was young, I dreamed of being a comic book artist,” says Giarratana, with a chuckle. “But as I got older, I decided that might not be my field. Instead, I decided to study graphic design at Pratt Institute in New York City.”
After design school, he worked for several agencies, then started his own marketing business and later owned a small Christian publishing company.
“During those years I dabbled in painting and kept my skills up, but it wasn’t until I retired at 62 that I began painting seriously,” he said.
“At first I worked with acrylics, painting large abstracts, then I began working with oil pastels on pastel paper.” he said. “Working with oil pastels is very much like painting. When I’m finished with a piece, it looks like a painting and not chalky like regular pastels. I work with wide, medium and even pencil pastels for finer details.”
His medium and subject matter have evolved over the years. He now gets many consignments to paint pet portraits which are distinctive for the emotion Giarratana captures in the pets’ eyes, faces, and demeanor.
He now also teaches art, one-on-one, to adults, and he says he is also trying to make time to visit some of the nearby art galleries in Columbia and Charlotte.
An energetic person, Giarratana says he is always painting.
“I love to stay busy,” he says. “I’ve always worked a lot at whatever I was doing. And I love to paint. There will be plenty of time to rest after I’m dead,” he said with a laugh.
All oil pastel pet portraits are commission pieces and sell for $145 per pet. Giarratana can be contacted at info@giarratana studio.com
Dominick Giarratana, 101, still copies the masters. Giarratana with a large abstract of trees.