Everything happens in the perfect time space sequence. Ask local artist and illustrator Christopher Paluso. He is an example that somehow one thing leads to another occurring miraculously at just the right time. Reviewing his life experience is an attestation to this phenomenon. Chris wouldn’t be here today in America if it were not for his grandfather.
During the early 1900s in Modica, Sicily, Chris’ grandfather, an orphan and young man at the time, worked on a relative’s potato farm. He became smitten by a local girl in town and as with tradition went to the family to ask their permission for her hand. They responded no, being told, “You can’t marry her because her older sister is not married. If you want one of my daughters you have to take her” and that is who he married.
Seeking opportunity, his grandfather immigrated to America circa 1915 finding work and shortly after summoned his wife and three kids to come. She arrived and found it very hard to assimilate to her new world having left relatives back home. Settling in the Italian section of Easton, Pennsylvania, she lived until 99 ½ having raised seven children.
Interestingly, two siblings from separate families marry each other. Chris’ dad’s brother married his mom’s sister and they relocated to San Diego. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, his father and two uncles were enlisted and went off to war. On route, Chris’ dad stopped in San Diego to visit his sister-in-law. During their visit, he saw a picture and asked, “Isn’t that your sister?” He asked her for her address stating he wanted to write to people back home. The two corresponded and in eighteen months they fell in love writing letters to each other. They got married two months after he returned at the end of the war and relocated to San Diego.
Chris was born in Paso Robles the third of five brothers with two older and two younger. It wasn’t until he was 15 years old attending Mission Bay High School that he discovered his art ability. His younger brother was taking an art class and had a homework assignment. He asked Chris if he wanted to join him. It ended up that Chris drew better than his brother.
His older brother encouraged his parents to buy Chris art supplies and they successfully enrolled him into art class where he took commercial art under the auspices of Robert Steed. Steed asked Chris, “What do you like to do?” Keen on sports, he brought in some pictures of athletes and started illustrating.
One day, illustrator Darrel Millsap, a friend of Steed, came to visit the classroom to demonstrate his illustrations. With about a dozen of illustrations displayed throughout the classroom, this inspired Chris who wanted to be like Millsap.
Later Chris was invited to visit his studio. Millsap shared some sage advice. “You are going to take a lot of art classes and my advice to you is to just take it all in. Knock it around for a while. What you don’t like just toss out and then hold on to it and continue to build on that and sooner or later you are going to have a style that is uniquely yours.” That advice is still what Chris holds onto today and what turned him into the artist that he is today. He was also mentored by Harvey Adams while attending City College.
During his last semester while still in school, he was hired as an illustrator for an architectural firm. Indeed, one thing does lead to another.
Chris will be sharing his skills teaching the art of drawing in a new exciting dynamic course scheduled to start January 6, 2014 at Convivio Center in Little Italy. The course will last 8 weeks from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The fee is $150. For more information go to www.conviviosociety.org or visit his website at www.christopherpalusoart.net.
Catch a glimpse of Chris’ fine artwork currently on display in the exhibit “Artists’ Tribute to Italian Americans in Baseball” at the Convivio Center in Little Italy. Chris has the majority of pieces on display and was responsible for designing the main poster for the exhibit. The exhibit is free and runs until February 1, 2014.
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