Pacifico Palumbo / Wilhelm von Gloeden - The Boys of Taormina, Photography, Oil Paintings

Home

Pacifico's Story

Wilhelm's Story

Gallery

purchase giclée

Other Paintings

Contact

Self Portrait - Pacifico Palumbo 2004

I was born in Park Slope Brooklyn N.Y. on April 4th 1941. I began painting at 3 years old, when my uncle gave me a set of oil paints for Christmas. I painted all the time, until I was 27, not to take it up again until I became 60.

My focus has always been on the visual arts. Early in my career I became a photo retoucher and worked at the New York Journal American until I was 23. During that same time I took painting classes at Pratt Institute. I later attended Brooklyn Community College and then went on to study Advertising at the School of Visual Arts.

I became an Art Director in the early 60's and had the good fortune to work for almost 20 years at Wells, Rich & Green Advertising. I worked on campaigns for TWA Airlines, Benson and Hedges cigarettes, National Geographic magazine and then New York State Tourism, where we produced the still famous today "I love New York" Campaign.

It was while I was working on "I love New York" that my Partner gave me an I love NY neon sign for a Birthday present. I loved the sign so much that I left advertising and we opened up a Neon Gallery in Greenwich Village that we called "Say It in Neon". We ran the gallery from 1978 until 1991.

In 1969 we bought an old mill in western Massachusetts that we live in today. In 1991 my partner and I purchased the old Methodist church in Colrain, Massachusetts with the plans of converting it into my neon studio. Fearing that no one would come to our little town to see neon sculptures, I said to my partner "You're a chef, make an omelet, a salad, or a sandwich, cook something", and so the Green Emporium Restaurant Gallery was born. I have shown my neon creations there since we opened the doors to our restaurant in 1994.

Through it all, I still had the desire to paint. Three years ago my partner encouraged me to return to painting. He convinced me to attend Greenfield Community College and take a painting class. My hands were shaking as my brush touched my first new canvas. I was sure that I had forgotten everything that I did when I painted before. Slowly it all came back to me.

I have been painting again now for 3 years. I paint every day. At home and at the college. You can see a collection of my paintings at the Green Emporium web site. I recently had a one man show at The Northampton Center for the Arts, and had several paintings at Mill Brook Gallery in Concord New Hampshire in the summer of 2005. I am looking for other galleries to show my paintings and a gay gallery, to show my Boys of Taormina paintings.

Visit Pacifico Palumbo's other web sites

greenemporium.com gardenhands.com neonartists.com basilfestival.com lavenderlovers.com