John Velardi Sailboat at Sea Framed Pastels on Paper

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A 2012 contemporary pastel on paper seascape of a sailboat by American artist John Velardi b.1956. Expressive with an earthy … Read more A 2012 contemporary pastel on paper seascape of a sailboat by American artist John Velardi b.1956. Expressive with an earthy palette.


John Velardi, known for his small-scale, deceptively fragile sculptures, also goes by Johnny Velardi and JohnnyV. Born in 1956 in New York, he studied advertising at the Parsons School of Design but is largely self-taught as an artist. For many years, he worked as a court assistant in the Record Room at the New York and Bronx Family Courts. At the same time, he has been deeply engaged as a musician in the New York punk music scene, including in the bands pUbLiC NuIsAnCe and Knockout James. His visual art, sharing this experimental DIY spirit, involves paintings, drawings, pastels, sculptures, prop design, and masks, in addition to his sculptural pieces. These works frequently express experiences from his everyday life, such as his battles with chronic eczema that causes skin to crack, much like the splitting of the protective layers of the fruits that he uses as his materials.

Since the 1980s, Velardi has curated and been included in a number of exhibitions in New York, including several years of the Gramercy Park Art Show at the National Arts Club and the New York Court Employee Art Show. See less