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southport studio artists
formerly The Bardani Gallery Artists
A WORKING ART STUDIO IN SOUTHPORT, NC
Joseph Bardani
Joseph Bardani passed away August 18, 2024 . He was a mentor and a friend. He will always be in our hearts and in our art.
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I was born in Imperia Italy, on the Italian Riveria in 1956. I have no idea when the love of art entered my soul, but I know it was at a very early age. I lived in an orphanage until I was about four years old. My brother Franco and I were adopted by two wonderful people, Frank and Caroline, in New York City in November of 1960. I believe it was in those very early years that I fell in love with art and art fell in love with me.
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My uncle Tony owned a major graphic design studio on Madison Avenue in New York City, and as a child I would visit it often. I would play with oil pastels and pencils. I was in a wonderland of all the beautiful art and design. My other Uncle, Joe, worked as an art director in the same design studio. He also taught me a few things about the art world, photography and copy. There was always plenty of beautiful art in all of the homes of my family. Many artist were well known.
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I always painted and drew sketches as a young boy and attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama on an art scholarship. I still knew very little about what art really was even though I majored in Art, and I was exposed to it all the time. I was often told by artists that were well in their 60's and 70's that it took a long time for their art to be "mature" and for them to be content with their work. I never knew what that meant, but I do now. It was during this time I realized how powerful art and photography were and I knew they were in my blood. I studied under Dr. Belle of Huntingdon College and we had many discussions on what "art" was and was not. She once told me that I had to "sing the blues", and when the time came, I would know. It took 30 years for that to happen. It was also at this point that I fell in love with photography.
I later went on to study at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta, Georgia and then the Art Institute of Charlotte, North Carolina. I learned a great deal working with Bob Griffin and managing his art gallery, Picture House Gallery. I saw how diverse art is and how it changes an entire home, especially the entire mood of a home. Anyone who has ever known me will tell you that every place I have lived has had the walls adorned with beautiful art.
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Through some rough patches in my life, the typical living in your car and tough curveballs that are thrown at you, I have finally made a full commitment to my art and have done so for many years now. My legacy will be my art and I hope it gives pleasure to those who see it for as long as it will be seen.
I have two to three basic styles. I tend to paint heavy impasto landscapes, still lifes, and abstracts. I do flat, and smooth brushwork as well.
I reside in Ash, a small town in North Carolina, and consider this incredible area as my home. I have two wonderful daughters, Rachael and Callie, who are my strength and my love.
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