About the artist:

For over thirty years the craftsmanship of Fioravanti has expressed itself in his work as a cobbler and painter. In a world of everchanging values, it is refreshing to see in Fioravanti the careful dedication of the old school. Fioravanti apprenticed in his father's cobbler shop where he mixed polishes to create varieties of colors, carved the wooden molds, and shaped leather by hand. Fioravanti studied the painting techniques of the great masters for over twenty years and his approach to painting reflects the old masters in his painstaking technique of using various layers of washes to build up color and texture. Fioravanti has explored multi-media and his sculptures in marble have been highly praised for their sensitivity and rendering. Fioravanti means "first flower," and flowers are often the subjects of his paintings. They are imaginery flowers of twilight and early spring, flowers fantasized about in the depth of winter when the earth is still and frozen. Fioravanti's landscapes of cottages and churches are reminiscent of early American folk art. The earth in his landscapes is just awakening. They have afeeling of March and April as the ground thaws out and opens up to new life. Although Fioravanti deals with a kind of arrested craftform in his subjects he has nevertheless been able to imbue his work with a power that is universal in all sincere folk art. This strength resides in a capacity to indicate without artifice the drama and history of his subjects. Fioravanti's paintings are compelling and touching because of the free way he abstracts and simplifies his forms while maintaining an innocence of artistic pretentions and a naive trust of the universe.