Quinn Stilletto
Q
uinn Stilletto lives in a world of swirling colors that sometimes seem to be embedded in his canvases and sometimes seem to be floating around him in the air. His expressionist visions can portray what has been called diverse layers of consciousness. Stilletto's control of these layers and colors is such that he is equally at home presenting a non-objective painting as he is with guiding his strokes of color into the form of a portrait. For example, in his work titled "Einstein," a textured, somber colored canvas gives way to an assault of yellow brushstrokes until the familiar face of the genius theoretician, Einstein, stares out at us.
It's appropriate for Quinn Stilletto to take a thinker such as Einstein as a subject for visual exploration. Stilletto's own work springs from a well of thought and contemplation. The artist is deeply involved in an intertwined flow of intellect and spirit. His earliest path was pointed towards the priesthood. He decided after some years that he could also serve those around him with his art and his activism. He dedicates some part of his art and his energy towards helping people—particularly artists—who have been affected by the AIDS epidemic.
British-born artist Stilletto speaks of the art as an intrinsic part of his faith and his spiritual practices. In fact, he says he feels that
"The artist does not create, only God creates." Stilletto sees himself as a kind of conduit for the creativity that flows from outside the normal human experience. He refers to the "infused faith" model described by Thomas Aquinas. Philosophical concepts are central to Stilletto's world. He speaks of his world as a fantasy world in which beliefs are fluid. "Truth is unstable, it's built upon sand," he says.
Stilletto moved with his family from his London birthplace to New York during the 1950s, and finally settled in Ohio, It was in the arts community of Cleveland where Stilletto found himself most at home. Although his paintings, photographs, and sculptures are at the center of his participation in that community, Stilletto's life has many facets. He owns a design firm that successfully tackles projects as diverse as designing ladies' active wear, doing architectural design, and presenting a line of pop culture themed garments under the "Unwanted Children" brand label.
Stilletto's works have been exhibited in a variety of group shows from Kansas City to New York. He also had one man shows at Cleveland's Barth Gallery, Pentagon Gallery, The Kelly Randall Gallery, The Greg Martin Gallery and Novo Metro.