By Barbara Arnstein
Larry Santapaola, owner of Giordano's Art Gallery in Bayside, is an expert regarding both popular painters and framing.
“When the frame and the artwork in tandem, the frame complements the painting instead of competing with it,” he said. “Recently someone brought in an African print and I matched the frame with a color in it so that it seemed to jump out of the picture.”
The gallery has been in the Bayside area for more than 25 years, but Santapaola purchased it from the original owner in June 2004. It offers custom framing and conservation framing, original art (including pastels, oils, and water colors), mirrors, lithographs, serigraphs and giclees.
“Lithographs are made by a printing process supervised by the artist, in limited editions. Serigraphs have hand-applied color and costly inks, and are on thicker paper. A giclee has an image that's transferred to canvas and embellished by the artist,” said Santapaola. “I sell special white-tinted glass to protect artwork from ultra-violet rays, and acid-free materials to help preserve it.”
The popular artists featured in the gallery are included in many catalogues, such as Israeli artists Michael Rosenvane, Hedra Ferenzi and Levi Dorit. Rosenvane's lithographs sell for $500 (or $400, for smaller sizes). There are oils by Enrique Medina of Uruguay and of New York places and people by New York artist Ray Simmons (including a bus stop and a fisherman). Seymour Rosenthal, an artist who has 22 works of art on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is represented by three originals at the gallery.
“One artist, Jim Buckles, has a style that's part photo realism and part fantasy, like Maxfield Parrish. One of his works features a park in front of a building that doesn't exist, with a comet in the background,” said Santapaola.
There is a huge floral work by Lena Morosse, called “Window in Napoli.” “There's a picture of a woman in a gray gown, with her scarf fluttering around her,” said Santapaola. “The prices range up to $2,000.”
“I was lucky to get a Russian icon,” he continued. “It's a turn-of-the-century portrait of St. Nicholas, hand-hammered, and silver-clad, and it was made with egg tempura paint.”
Santapaola used to be an art director and a creative supervisor at the prestigious advertising agencies McCann Erickson and Grey Advertising. His clients ranged from international companies to catering halls, and included Minute Rice.
“I've done package designs, television commercials, and Internet sites,” he said. Now he shares his wife's profession: Lisa Santapaola owns Island Art and Framing on Route 110 in Melville, L.I. She was an employee there for almost 20 years, but has owned it for the last five. (Their oldest daughter is a Rockette, one of the famous dancers featured in shows at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.)
“Now I apply my design sense and creative sense to my gallery,” he said. “Framing is not an exact science. Each one is its own separate project. I have thousands of samples of frames. The prices range from $65 per foot to $4 per foot.”
His customers include corporations and hospitals (including Huntington and Stony Brook), designers in Manhattan and art galleries in New Jersey.
“Many corporations want conservative images, like landscapes and sailboats,” said Santapaola. “Sometimes they want abstract art.”
Whether he is dealing with companies or individuals, he said he always tries to help his customers make the best match between his artwork and their decorating styles. He also deals with photo reproductions, and restoring canvases that are damaged and dirty.
His higher education began at Queensborough Community College and later transferred to the State University of Farmingdale in Long Island. He then attending Manhattan's School of Visual Arts.
Giordano's Art Gallery is located at 73-32 Bell Blvd. in Bayside, just south of 73rd. The phone number is (718) 740-4917.
