SirianniArt.Com

My enthusiasm for the N.Y. Yankees has taken an artistic turn. I’m working on a Joe DiMaggio piece. This will be my first major painting for 2010.

I’d like to wish you all a healthy and progressive New Year.

The fim “Curbs” will feature 3 of my courtroom drawings.

I have completed a mural with my patients. The theme is the pacific northwest. Over 30 individuals have been involved. The wall space is large and maintaining a sense of unification was an interesting challenge.

I’ve also completed the design for a monument honoring Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

My Portrait and Caricature class has begun. We have a great group of folks with a lot of talent.

The dedication of the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial, in August, was a highlight of the summer. Colin Powell was our guest speaker.

Artwork for plaque honororing those Corpsman and Marines who died from Hotel Company 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Vietnam. This was the unit that the artist had served with.

Mark Kline with Ralph Sirianni

Mark Kline is a 38-year-old disabled Army Veteran living in Mexico, NY.  Mark became sick while stationed at Ft. Lewis after returning from his tour in Germany and Bosnia.  Mark was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Wilson’s Disease.  It is characterized by the body’s inability to metabolize copper and stores it in the heart, liver and brain until it reaches a toxic level rather than passing it through.  Mark was born in Costa Rica and adopted to an American family at 18 months — the disease was undiagnosed until Mark became sick.  Wilson’s Disease causes neuromuscular problems with all four limbs, muscle spasms, and the inability to speak and/or swallow.  Mark ambulates with a wheelchair, and in his spare time enjoys painting, sketching, snow and water skiing (in a sit down ski), and his beautiful pug named Sage.

“Pineapple Tango”
Mixed media (30″ x 22″)
2009

The dedication ceremony for the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial was held August 18th, 2009, at Walter M. Kenney Field.  From the program:

While the 7-foot V-shaped granite monument that anchors the Town of Tonawanda Veterans Memorial may appear abstract to some, its meaning is very traditional.  Sirianni designed the V as a symbolic reference of “Veterans”, but says that other words such as “valor”, or on a more personal level, “vision” also come to mind.

In attendance was veteran and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, seen here with the artist.  More about Ralph Sirianni’s work on monuments can be found HERE.

In over 30 years of employment with the V.A. Healthcare System, working as a Creative Arts Therapist on the inpatient psychiatric care unit has been my most rewarding experience. The various characteristics of illnesses present caregivers with a constant flow of new challenges.

“Fragile Warriors” is a tribute to those who served our country and are now in a delicate situation. It also acknowledges those who serve them. Patients, though in a group, are often isolated in their own worlds, a condition that results from the illness and medications being used to treat them. Hence, the cubes contain individuals who suffer disorders from schizophrenia, depression, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)  suicide / homicidal ideations, addictions, etc. There is one figure who appears free and content with being in this place, this state of mind. However, a closer look at their wrist betrays any reference to stability.

The camera (enclosed in the mounted glass bubble) represents the ever-present watchful eye of the caregiver, who is again symbolized by the hand reaching out. Other imagery includes some of the more often prescribed medications, floating through the ward setting. There’s the barrel of an M-16 rifle jutting from the window of a patient’s room. This illustrates a military presence and deeper still, the manic sentinel who is ever vigilant.

Three new portraits are presented in the “Other Works” gallery, “Obama” , “Jimi-Revisited” and ” Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.”

They can be found here.