Of all the reviews Ive done over the last half year or so, this has to be, by far, one of
the coolest. Part has to do with the fact that I love abstract art and actually have several paintings up around my flat,
but the other part has to do with how hot the paintings at VeryBigArt.com really are!
VeryBigArt.com is an online art gallery that features paintings by two popular, trendy Chicago artists, Tom Fedro and Gino Savarino. All
of the paintings are hand painted, one-of-a-kind, and LARGE some more than 6 feet across. Yeah, that big!
Tom lives
and works in Mount Prospect, Illinois, just outside of Chicago with his wife Alicia and son Jordan. He attended Valparaiso
University and The Illinois Institute of Art. Currently, his art is featured in galleries in both the U.S. and Europe. Recently,
Tom produced special pieces for IBM, Hotel Allegro in Chicago, historic Navy Pier, and the Broadway show Rent.
Gino
was born in Argentina. His parents immigrated to Buenos Aires from Italy for a better life and, after Gino was born, from
Argentina to Chicago in 1978 for an even better life. Soon after arriving in the U.S., he needed some way to deal with the
culture shock, and for him, the best way was through painting, drawing, and listening to music. After graduating high school,
Gino enrolled in formal art classes for two years, but soon decided hed rather do things his own way.
Gino believes
there shouldnt be rules and guidelines in art, which is why he loves painting abstract pieces so much. If you truly feel what
youve created comes from the heart, its already a masterpiece. There is nothing more rewarding than to experiment with colors,
shapes and styles, taking a step back when youre finished and having a sense of artistic accomplishment.
The first thing
that jumped out at me about the paintings on VeryBigArt.com was the was the use of bright colors in each and every painting. Im a minimalist when it comes to decorating my place a lot
of black and white, stainless steel, and bamboo. But to me, nothing finishes a room off, especially one that has these same
minimalist characteristics, like a big, bright, colorful painting. Too many artists these days paint in a dark, depressing,
minimalist way, but I prefer my art to stand out and command a room, just like I used to have to do as the youngest guy in
the boardroom. (Maybe this explains my love for these guys paintings a little.)
Another thing that I love about the
paintings at VeryBigArt.com is that while they are abstract, aand some of Ginos are VERY abstract, you can still tell in every single painting that theres
more there than just some paint thrown up on a canvas. Theres no other way for me to describe the paintings than having soul.
The use of many colors, the different shapes and textures, the way you can just sit and stare at them for what seems like
hours just taking in the soul of the paintings. Very, very cool, unlike any group of paintings Ive every seen.
Finally,
while still a good chunk of change, the paintings really arent expensive at all when compared with other paintings of comparable
style and size. In my opinion too, a painting is worth spending a few hundred dollars on (or more, depending on your income),
as it is the focal point of a room. On top of that, how many other things that just sitting around your house can really evoke
the emotion that your perfect painting can?! Whether for your living room, bedroom, office, or bar, paintings from
VeryBigArt.com are WELL worth it.
I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it really doesnt get any better than at
VeryBigArt.com. If you dont want to take my word for it, then take Donald Trumps: Gino was commissioned to paint for the Donald, and the
5 foot x 6 foot painting now hangs in the lobby of the new Trump Palace here in New York! Ready to have your own original
painting from VeryBigArt.com?!
Journal & Topics Newspapers | Serving Chicago's near northwest suburbs since 1930
Story posted Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Painting, Music Life-Long
Labors of Love For Local Man of the Arts
By DENISE FLEISCHER Lifestyles Editor
Tom
Fedro has loved art and music since he was first able to draw and hold an instrument.
Within the studio
of this Mt. Prospect artist's home, you'll find creative and playful pop art collages and whimsical portraiture that
have an addictive rhythm of their own.
Fedro's paintings come alive with bold colors and lines representing
original works in abstract, cityscapes, fine art and landscapes. He's best known for his original abstract nudes, faces,
wines and contemporary modern paintings.
"I've always drawn. I use to copy comics. I was also
a music major and can play 12 instruments," said Fedro. "I even have a little music studio."
In
the late 80's, he discovered the iconic art of Patrick Nagel and fell in love with the style in which he painted women:
white faces, black hair and red lips. He translated his love for this style onto the backs of jean jackets and sold them at
women's boutiques in Arlington Hts. and Woodfield Mall.
For a few years, retail stores began buying
his work in bulk. He then started painting on canvases, experimenting with different colors and bold outlines in themed pop
art collages. His subjects include hearts, buildings and instruments.
Over the years he's worked as
a marketing assistant at IBM working on computer graphics. He also became a creative director for an advertising agency in
Barrington. He was even hired as an insurance broker. When things were slow in the insurance business, Fedro became a waiter.
At a Mt. Prospect restaurant, he met his wife who is a poet and writer.
"She saw my artwork and asked
what are you doing everything else for," he said. "After that she supported my work and we got married."
Fedro set up a studio in the basement of his home. Shortly after he got a job at a bistro in Mt. Prospect. He
created a number of murals and started hanging his original art throughout the restaurant. He also owned a gallery called
Metaphors in Arlington Hts.
His paintings started selling well at the bistro and on the auction website
eBay. Soon, he was shipping 300 canvases a year.
"I became partners with my friend, Gino Savarino,
who I met on eBay and joined forces to start our own website, verybigart.com.
Today, Fedro enjoy five different
styles of art, including his pop art series, which was inspired by Lichtenstein. He also idolizes Peter Max. He has two versions
of his "Faces" series, featuring oblong faces and his most popular "Tres Chic." His cubist series highlights
more muted colors in geometric representation. There's also a wine bottle series, home series, fiberboard sculpture and
tribal masks.
"My next big goal is to participate in an art expo in New York to introduce my work
to the corporate world, art dealers, collectors and corporate art galleries," he said.
October 10, 2008
Original Modern Abstract Art - Buying Large Contemporary Paintings Online at Affordable Prices
By Jonathan Stanley
As more people move in to larger
homes, over-sized paintings are needed to fill the walls and double staircases. A painting measuring 36" x 48" or
larger is considered over-sized and investing in an original piece this big can be overwhelming.
Going into a galley is many times intimidating when dealing with snooty sales people. Thank God for the world wide
web. With sites like verybigart.com it's a breeze, offering large original works by well known Chicago artists, Gino
Savarino and Thomas Fedro. All paintings come with a certificate of authenticity valued more then 4 times the actual price.
These discounted prices are only found on this site. Their works sell for as much as $3000 in galleries in Chicago as well
as New York.
Modern abstract art has become one of the favorites styles in recent years.
Investors seem to go for the "indescribable" and allow the artist to interpret it in his own form with a brush and
vibrant colors. Even objects that are recognizable like faces, bottles, or flowers seem to be more interesting in an
abstract style.
Many artists are not comfortable painting in such a large format, but Savarino
and Fedro love to take on the challenge. "The larger the better" Savarino said. "Art should be displayed as
big as possible" adds Fedro. The two artist owned three galleries combined, but "nothing beats selling online"
states savarino. "We cater to the world. We have collectors in Greece, South Africa, England, Australia, Italy, Canada,
and many other countries" says Fedro.
November
10, 2006
Gino Savarino's Art to appear on ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition! - Savarino donates two custom paintings to the Nayola Family.
Watch
Extreme Makeover on ABC for Gino's Art! Gino's art will be shown in an upcoming episode! Extreme Makeover
is on Sundays 7/8C.
Camp results in mural, friendships at Maine East
BY PAULINE FORTE | STAFF WRITER A group of eight students, participating
in a summer camp at Maine East High School, have painted a 60-feet-long mural under the guidance of Argentina-born artist
Gino Savarino. It took three days for the group to complete the two-part mural, located
in one of the school's lower level hallways between the family center and the health center.
The camp was organized by the English as a Second Language (ESL)
program, which developed a series of activities for the summer, including swimming, soccer, volleyball, and mural painting.
"The idea is to give students some activities outside
of academics that will make them more comfortable in the school setting," ESL teacher Sharon Baima said.
The students, ages 15 to 19, picked the colors they wanted to mix and were
each given an area on the wall to paint. Savarino, who has been painting abstracts for 19 years, chose cubism abstract for
the mural project to "allow each and every one of the students to have their own section, and within that section they
could be as creative as they wanted to be."
Last year's
camp was geared solely for Latino students. This summer it has been open to all cultures from ESL classes as well as recent
graduates. Asian, Ukrainian, and Latino students participated in the mural painting.
"We invited all ESL kids because we felt they tend to be less connected to the school," Health Counselor
Kathy Malyszko said.
Many of the ESL students recently moved
to the United States and still are overcoming a language barrier. "We wanted to get them engaged, said Malyszko, who
helped coordinate the camp.
The first day, the young artists
were pretty apprehensive, according to Savarino. But on the second day, they were laughing together and felt free to express
themselves. "They were extremely creative by applying texture, mixing colors, and using the wall as their palette,"
he said.
He said there is a little variation between the two
walls. One was painted first and looks more "serious" than the other one, which he said shows more freedom.
Franklin Ortega, 19, who moved to the United States from Ecuador in 2004,
said, "The experience was awesome. When I painted, I felt something special."
"I was so impressed with how these different kids from different cultures, different ages, and different
background bonded," Malyszko said.
The two-wall mural
brings color and life to the long and rather bland hallway. Each mural is about 30 feet long by 9 feet tall. It is made of
hundreds of shapes, outlined in black lines, and painted in lots of primary colors.
"We gave it definition by mixing two or three colors within the areas," Savarino said.
Students painted several sections on each wall. At the end, they signed
their name and Savarino sealed the mural with a varnish to protect it.
Each
signature represents the individuality of each culture coming together, Malyszko said.
Savarino decided to get involved in the mural project because it is a good way to give back to the community.
"I know how it is to want to fit in," he said.
Savarino
left Argentina when he was 8 because of the country's bad economy. "One of my ways to deal with the sadness of living
my country was to take art classes in high school," he said. He graduated from Maine South. He later started doing abstracts,
after realizing he didn't have the patience to work in graphic art design.
Three years ago, he shifted his hobby for painting into a career opportunity. He listed some of his art on
e-Bay and it sold very well. Based in the Chicago area, he sells most of his work online but also has paintings exposed in
galleries in New York, Atlanta, and Canada, and has sold to collectors in Puerto Rico, Australia, South Africa, Greece, and
the Netherlands.
The students finished painting the wall July
12 but haven't named the artwork yet. Malyszko and the students want the title to emphasize unity. Ortega, who painted
on a wall in the school's cafeteria last summer, suggested "Friends" as a name for the new abstract mural.
On
his way to the big time Mt. Prospect artist ready for exhibition in the Big Apple
By Matt Arado Daily Herald
Staff Writer
Posted on October 10, 2007
For a practicing artist, securing a spot in a New York City exhibition
is similar to a screenwriter selling a script in Hollywood - it's the first step on the way to the big time.
Mount Prospect artist Thomas Fedro is about to take that step, with an exhibition
next month at the Agora gallery in the SoHo section of New York.
Fedro,
who grew up in Arlington Heights and moved to Mount Prospect four years ago, has already made a name for
himself in and around Chicago. He was one of the artists involved in the city's Cows on Parade exhibit a few years ago,
and his paintings have been featured at numerous gallery exhibitions in the city and suburbs.
But as much as he appreciates the success he's had here, Fedro can't wait for the upcoming exhibition
in the Big Apple.
"It's the kind of exposure every artist dreams of,"
he said, sipping a glass of wine inside Retro Bistro, the Mount Prospect restaurant that has become something
of a second home to him. "It's like being called to the major leagues."
Fedro's
paintings come in two styles, he said. He describes his earlier work as "pop" art: brightly colored, energetic pictures
that often feature images of musicians or musical instruments. His newer work is more abstract, though still marked by the
use of vibrant color.
Fedro, a Rolling Meadows High School graduate and a music
major in college, worked a number of jobs after earning his degree, including a stint with IBM doing computer graphics. Drawing
and art, though, were always hobbies. He earned some money on the side copying Patrick Nagel paintings on the back of denim
jackets and selling them to stores.
It was his wife, Alicia, who finally persuaded
him to pursue painting more seriously.
"She told me to do my own thing,"
he said. "So I got a job bartending and waiting tables to pay the bills and started to paint."
Fedro has tended bar at Retro Bistro for about 10 years. He works there three or four nights a week,
and spends his days painting in his basement studio. He estimates that he produces about two new pieces a week.
Much of his art hangs on the walls of Retro Bistro, where it's available for purchase. Art collectors
can also check out Fedro's work on his Web site, www.fidostudio.com.
Fedro
hopes that his New York exhibition will expose his work to a wider audience, but he said he's not about to forget the
people in the city and suburbs who have supported him until now.
"People
here at the restaurant and in this area have been very supportive," he said. "I have a lot of repeat customers,
and I'm very grateful to them."
A creative seller’s market
Local artist finds lucrative
business through eBay
By Elena Ferrarin
Reflejos
Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, January 10, 2006
How does a talented but unknown abstract painter make a
name for himself in today’s competitive art world?
Through eBay, the online bazaar where people bid on everything from nail
clippers to luxury cars.
Gino Savarino paints out of a studio in his Elk Grove Village home, takes photos of his colorful paintings and
uploads them on eBay, where his average selling price is $225 per painting.
In the last year and a half, he has sold more
than 400 paintings, and in November alone he made $25,000 in sales. Custom-made works range from $400 to $1,000.
When Savarino first tried his luck on eBay
in April 2004, more on a whim than with real conviction, bidding started at $5 and ended at $125.
“I’ll never forget that.
I was in shock,” Savarino said. “I never thought that my hobby was going to turn into a career, but this is the
land of opportunity, and I am taking every single opportunity there is.”
Savarino, 36, was born in Argentina to Italian immigrant
parents. When he was 8 years old, the family moved to the United States, settling in Chicago’s Brickyard neighborhood.
To this day, he and his younger sister speak Spanish to their parents, who answer in Italian.
“It’s the same sob story that you
hear from everyone else,” Savarino said. “My parents worked for minimum wage and had to leave us alone at home
while they worked, though they called us five times a day to make sure we were OK.”
Savarino discovered abstract painting
while studying graphic arts at Triton Community College in River Grove.
“I got an A+ in the class, but how much money can
you make as an abstract artist? I just messed around with it as a hobby,” he said.
During the next few years he tried his luck
as a factory worker, pizza maker, clothing store clerk and landscaper. He eventually started a wedding DJ business, which
he ran for about 11 years.
“I would always come home late and not be with the kids,” said Savarino, who is married and has an
11-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. “I got burnt out.”
These days, life consists of painting to his heart’s
content, said Savarino, whose models are Miro, Dali, Picasso and Jackson Pollock. “I’m not trying to recreate
the recognizable,” he said. “What I like to think is that I am expressing everything on canvas through color,
through shape, through composition.”
His work will be showcased by an art gallery expected to open in late January in Westchester,
N.Y.
Joseph
Thomas Galleries co-owner Abe Abdallah said he purchased a few of Savarino’s paintings for himself before deciding to
display his work.
“He has a very unique style,” Abdallah said. “A lot of artists don’t have much variation,
but his colors go from cold to warm. He has a great color scheme.”
Savarino also works on commission for Chagall Inc., a small
construction and interior design company in Alberta, Canada.
“We build condos and custom homes, and the majority of our clients
are young professionals,” said Chagall Inc. owner Shirley Louie. “Lots of young professionals really like the
big, art deco-type abstract paintings.”
No matter what peaks of fame he may reach, Savarino said he will always remain loyal to
his Internet-based customers.
“You used to see a lot of starving artists, but thanks to the Internet you see a lot of stuffed artists,”
he said. “It’s a great way to reach out and be seen by the entire world.”
