The Professional Artists of St. Augustine (P.A.St.A.) Fine Art Gallery has welcomed Frank Barreca to its membership.
Barreca’s painstakingly articulated pencil drawings depicting harbor scenes, complete with accurately detailed ships and buildings, will be on display at the gallery on 214 Charlotte St., in downtown St. Augustine, starting this month.
Barreca’s love of the arts started with his grandmother, an accomplished artist who taught him to canvas oil paint and mix colors. She was often commissioned to hand-restore rare and historical photography by Kodak. It was her attention to that level of detail that inspires her grandson’s work today.
Over the years, Barreca has tried his artistic hand at many things, such as music, stage and TV acting, producing and co-hosting an award-winning TV show, authoring a science fiction novel, wooden ship building and even antique car restoration, to name a few. He drifted in and out of those artistic hobbies over 50 years, all while establishing a successful 40-year career in information technology.
His unique and finely detailed pencil artwork can take more than 200 hours to create. His latest works represent a rich and detailed view into the character and activities of life around ancient sea harbors across the globe.
Formerly from Ohio, Barreca now lives in St. Augustine with his wife Deby. He recently discovered a passion for charcoal pencil drawing, with a focus on marine harbors and boats, pulling his inspiration from French and Italian artists of the 1600s and 1700s along with a sprinkle of mid-century style artwork.
For more on Frank Barreca and his artwork go to pastagalleryart.com or facebook.com/pastaartgallery.
