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Fragile Warriors
Oil (51"x92") 2009
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.
Obama
Oil (24"x36") 2008 |
Jimi-Revisited
Pastel (32"x40") 2008 |
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Mixed Media (45" x 31") 2009 |
I’ve always
been an animal lover. Sometimes it seems magical to communicate with another
creature. I see the earth as one day being inhabited only by humans. We’ll force
all the animals into extinction in the name of progress. In my painting, an angel appears before a seal.
The animal is struggling for
its life in the midst of an oil spill. This work is my prayer for God's
creatures..."O angels, of those who at this moment suffer in the agonies of
death, strengthen, encourage and defend them against the attacks of the infernal
enemy."
I have a love for angels that goes back to a childhood
picture of a guardian angel watching over two children crossing a bridge.
I’m sure that print has hung over many cribs and beds. I often marveled
over that angel and its beautiful wings. As a Catholic Italian boy on
Buffalo's West Side, I went to Holy Cross School. We were told all about God, saints and sinners.
My favorite stories were always those of angels.
What always fascinated me was their power and merciless punishment. Yet
angels are said to be unspeakably lovely and have no shadow of
imperfection or defects. They are gentle and love all beings except
enemies of the Lord.
Through my life, I have tried to follow some of these ideals.
Too much
generosity and compassion have gotten me into trouble at times, though they made
for a balance with my darker side. I believe an angel covered my back in Vietnam
for a year as well as other black periods in my life. It made sense that my
three sons should be named Raphael, Michael and Gabriel, they are always my
light at the end of a dark tunnel.
The angel in my painting offers light, love, and life to an otherwise hopeless
situation.
- Raphael Sirianni
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Angel
oil on canvas 1990 |
Below are some
earlier paintings,
depicting feelings, exposing underlying realities, and hinting themes
to come in later works.
"Substance is a
significant word in my vocabulary. It represents the innermost
depths of heart and soul. I strive for that level of truth in my
art."
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Atmospheric Gusto
Oil (50" x 49")
from the Atmospheric Gusto Series, 1978 |
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"Recovery"
Oil (30" x 40") 1990
This painting represents the awakening to a new life of hope, leaving behind one of despair.
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"Hell"
Oil (40" x 32") 1995
The dark angel appears amidst the carnage and hidden images suffering in this inferno. |
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"Angel of the Holocaust" 1990 (oil) 48" x
50"
An angel brings some solace to the victims at their time of
death.
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"Blood" ca. 1983 (Pastel Wash) 30" x 40"
Originally intended as a statement against apartheid, this
painting also portrays racial injustice as a universal disease.
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"Main & Bailey" 1992
(Mixed Media) 30" x
20"
"Main and Bailey are streets that intersect just before the
Veterans Healthcare facility, where I work. Often times, I'm caught at the stop
light here. Working everyday with the elderly, ill and disabled patients is a
tremendous challenge. I use this time to focus and prepare myself. The red
windmill is symbolic of the challenge that comes with working within a
bureaucratic system that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. When it doesn't,
it can feel like you're tilting at windmills."
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"Lumex Nightmare" 1992 (oil) 36" x 48"
"This is a painting of a patient I saw on the ward one morning.
He was wearing a protective vest that restrained him to a Lumex chair, which is
designed for hospital patients. As he struggled against the restraints, his
temples were popping out and his nostrils flared, teeth clenched and muscles
flexed right down to his toes, which were actually curled. This patient was in
the late stages of Alzheimer's disease and the restraints were for his own
safety. There's not enough staff to give individual care at times, so the vest
and chair are used to keep the patient from hurting himself."
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"Jimi" 1998 (oil) 15" x 30"
"I have a very special place in my heart for Jimi Hendrix. He
is art. His music and message will grow as time passes. In this painting, his
image is within the body of his Stratocaster. The guitar is engulfed in flames."
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"Africa" 1998 (oil) 36" x 48"
This piece was done to the African beat of Manu Dibango and
Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
"The energy of their music made it
impossible for me to stop once I started."
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"Jimi For A Friend"
Mixed Media (46" x 41") 2004This piece was selected to represent the 9th Convention Hendrixiana-Saturnia 2005. This is an annual event, held in Tuscany, Italy,
where musicians from all over the globe gather to commemorate and perform the music
of Jimi Hendrix.
Click HERE for
Poster. |
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"Don Quixote"
Latex Enamel & Acrylic (16"x20") 2005
"It's been
just shy of 50 years since I was first introduced to Don Quixote. At
that time, it was in the form of a Classics Illustrated comic book.
Now, the character has reemerged. A recent study of Edith Grossman's
translation of this classic has aroused a fascination in me. Look for
more of the man from La Mancha."
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"Elvis: A Work in Progress?"
Oil (24"x36")"This piece began in the late 70s,
shortly after Elvis Presley's death. His mausoleum, the sun and the
song "In the Ghetto" pervade the space surrounding the King of Rock and
Roll.
"I was never quite sure how all of that related to the painting. As
the years passed, I'd occasionally take another confused look at it.
So here it is, back on the easel almost 30 years later. I know there's
more that needs to be done." |
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Commissioned
Work
"Dream Session"
Oil (18" x 24") 2006
Commissioned by a dear friend, Dream Session is a fantasy jam. Johnny Cash,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins were recorded together as The
Million Dollar Quartet. In this painting, Buddy Holly replaces Carl
Perkins and the boys are ROCKIN'.
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"Beauty Is Heartbreaking"
Oil
(30"x24") 2007 |
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