Gallery of Selected Artwork

Select a section and enjoy.

• Trucks
  
  Most people only appreciate an old truck if it is free of any sign of age. I, on the other hand, love the way an old truck can exhibit character and the whimsical application of paint color applied by different owners at different times; I find them to be a haphazardly found abstract painting.
  
  I chose to isolate a fraction of the vehicle and then paint the close-up as an abstract. In leaving hints of hardware parts, chrome pieces, grilles, head lamps and mirrors they provide the viewer with a hint or clue to the overall subject.
  
  People who keep them in "running condition"and don't see the need to restore them to their original states are considered by me to be kindred spirits. I also love to look for dynamic compositions in the way these trucks are laid to rest.
• Street Painting
  
  Using chalk as the medium is an Italian tradition dating to the 16^th century. Called “Madonnari” because of their practice of reproducing the image of the Madonna, the early Italian street painters were vagabonds who would arrive in small towns and villages forCatholic religious festivals and transform the streets and public squares intotemporary galleries for their ephemeral works of art. With the first rains of the season, their paintings would be gone. Today, the tradition lives on in the village of Grazie di Curatone, where the International Street Painting Festival is held in August each year in front of the Catholic Church.
  
  The Northern California version has professional and student artists turn over30,000 square feet of city streets into a pavement gallery in front of the Mission San Rafael Archangel. The streets are divided into “squares” sponsored by business, organizations and individuals.Approximately 200 artists and their assistants become madonnari, or street painters, and fill the pavement canvases with their own unique inspirations.
• Paintings by Annette Lanni
  
  On February 3, 1887 in Cervirnara, Italy, my great-grandmother heard the sound of church bells as she was giving birth to my maternal grandfather. The bells were ringing in celebration of Saint Biagio's day, (Saint Blaze, patron saint of throats). So, in accordance with Italian superstition or belief, her son was named Biagio.
  
  As United States citizens, my family set aside some of the unique traditions of the old country in an attempt to fit into a new culture. The tradition of naming the first born male child after the father or grandfather was eliminated because Biagio's name was too foreign sounding. I sadly watched my grandfather await the birth of male children in hope that someone would honor him. This almost never came about.
  
  Eighty-four years after Biagio Moscatiello was born I gave my son his name in his great-grandfather's honor.
  
  A few years ago I was able to visit the birth place of my family in Italy. In my travels to Rome, Florence, and Venice, I had the chance to study first hand the strong tradition of Italian painting. The love and respect of my father's and grandfather's homeland has increased. The love I have for my son, grandfather and Italian painting is exhibited in these paintings.
  
  This project exhibition was presented to the Faculty of San Jose State University Department of Art in partial fullfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Art--Painting. This exhibition was presented by Annette Lanni on April 22, 1991 with the concurrence of her MA project advisory committee: Albert Barela; Gale Antakol; Diane Oliver.
• Landscapes
  
  While Plein aire painting (on location) is challenging and rewarding, I find it to be the most pleasurable way of painting. Although the weather conditions can be trying - it allows the artist to be out of the studio and closer to the subject. Many of my landscapes are painted on site. Traveling has taken me to many wonderful places and has opened my eyes to many new topics to paint.
• Still Lifes
  
  "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a phrase that is not new to anyone, neither are beautiful paintings. It's not so much that I find the common and ordinary beautiful - rather, I am bored with what is commonly thought to be beautiful. Since my main interest is in paintings that are compositionally strong, I find myself looking for arrangements of "found objects" than those objects, which are aesthetically appealing. Instead of trying to just paint a pretty picture, what interests me most is how different elements can form a dynamic composition. It's more about combining the elements of design that are visible everywhere [e.g. lines, shapes, colors, form, textures, value and spaces].
• Household Crimes
  
  This series of paintings based on the "home away from home" of a woman named Ruth.The location is Castro Valley and she used this house as a base for managing different properties. Ruth is an admirable character, although I never met her. She was the landlady of one of my friends.Her home is a portrait of her, filled with a homestead style of attitude, resolve and ingenuity.Ruth was the "handyman" and restoration expert; hence the tools of the trade were readily available. She did most of her own maintenance and wasted nothing. Her small eclectic house was filled with many objects from the past, each rich in history and content.After years of study in photography and general art I became a student of Mel Ramos, the renowned Oakland Pop Artist.Mel Ramos was passionate about watercolor and soon so was I.Household Crimes was my first watercolor series.