This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Painter Anthony Granato has self-diagnosed art ADD.
He describes this affliction as an intense love for all art, including painting, photography, drawing, printmaking, sculpting and digital graphics.
"The process in which I create my art is much like developing a riddle," he says. "I start with the answer and work backwards. I begin with the final product, then figure out how to make it happen."
He draws, sculpts or photographs elements, which he scans into a computer, and then merges them into one cohesive image. He prints that on archival material, mounts it and finishes the artwork with oil paints.
In addition, he creates artwork to fit frames, which are created from scratch or salvaged antique or vintage frames.
The Utah native attended the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Ore., earning a BFA in illustration with a split minor in graphic design and painting.
But his art ADD began at a much younger age. When he was 5, his drawings of rainbows, dogs, houses and people were quickly enhanced by lessons from his father in proportion. "Legs and arms don't come out of the heads of people, dogs don't look like park benches and houses are way bigger than people," Granato recalled. "It opened my mind to a whole new world of creating. After that, I hit the ground running, I wanted to artistically study everything that was in my sight. I haven't stopped since."
Dichotomies are especially important to his work, with the concepts of old and new, beautiful and ugly or good and evil all being fused together in his pieces. "I'm constantly scheming on ways to portray my visual concepts in new and exciting ways," Granato said. "Painting big has been immensely satisfying for me, and I want to push the sizes even more. I've been in a veritable state of constant euphoria since I've focused on my fine art."
He plans to break into art markets on both coasts, as well as in Santa Fe, N.M. "The ultimate goal is to keep on keeping on. To create, travel and meet amazing people is paramount for my overall success and happiness."
Artist Anthony Granato, 33, has work on exhibit at Silver Queen Fine Art, 577 Main St., Park City. More of his mixed-media work can be viewed at http://www.anthonygranato.com.