James Musto Design Associates - November Artist of the Month

Published: November 03, 2006 « Back to Latest News

He takes the simple and makes it profound. These were my thoughts when I left James Musto’s home after interviewing him for this article. James Musto is the Falmouth Artists November Artist of the month. After donating a painting to the Guild for the auction held at the Connamessett Inn in spring, Mr. Musto decided he wanted to have an exhibition where he could donate a percentage of his sales to the Guild for its building campaign. “I would love to see them break ground soon and get the building up and running,” said Mr. Musto. “It will add so much to the community and I am happy to help out.”

He holds two titles, interior designer and artist, and will be exhibiting his “Abstract to Realism” paintings and sculptures at the Bellezza Day Spa, located at 221 Main Street, Falmouth from October 16th until the end of November 2006. The hair salon hours are open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., seven days a week. The public is welcome to walk in and browse.

Such an array of inspiring works of art, whether on canvas, paper, in metal, wire, or other materials, awaits the viewer upon entering his home. Although this is a simple statement, his artwork and sculptures are anything but simple. Upon entering his garden leading up to his home and design studio, one encounters many garden sculptures, in particular a single-story sized one entitled, “In the Mind’s Eye.” This quite unique heavy metal sculpture outlining a woman’s head looks up to the sky and beyond. It is composed of found objects with the outline of the gears as a substitute for the human brain. I knew I was in for an art experience when I saw this piece!

After stepping inside, there were many more interesting, one-of-a-kind sculptures of various subjects and materials. Colorful, stone glass pieces within a fish wire outline glow in the sunshine coming through the window. The vaulted ceilings and multiple angles of his contemporary designed home, add the perfect background for these artistic subjects. You look at the artwork and think to yourself, “How did he do this?” Each piece has a story of its own. As I traveled from the first floor level to the fourth, I was amazed at the volume of work and the distinctiveness of each piece. Color, contrast, 2 and 3-dimensional design, unity, composition, and mood are some of the thoughts that were going through my mind as I viewed his work.

When Mr. Musto thinks about creating artwork or design, the process runs through five stages: (1) Conceptual, the first thought, (2) Saturation, how can I record this? (3) Incubation, working out the problem, (4) Illumination, “Aha”, I know how I will do this, to (5) Verification, following through and completing the actual artwork. Mr. Musto believes that all things begin in an abstract manner, and then proceed to the realistic finish if that is what the artist wants to convey. As wild, colorful, and imaginative as his abstract works are, his realistic landscapes are soft and almost ethereal. They have a dreamlike quality to them.

Mr. Musto attended the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence for five years and also the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for five years while working a full time job to complete all the courses he set out to accomplish. He has also taken courses at the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Arts in Barnstable, MA. When you meet Mr. Musto, you get the feeling that he fully enjoys what he is designing and creating. He is blessed with left and right brain talents and as such loves his work. It shows. His home is designed and built by his talents to fill every bit of space in a very useful way. Several stories and levels of space are each distinctively designed for the specific functions of each room. His artwork is hung to capture the light both interior and exterior during the day and evening. The volume of work created and designed by him is nothing short of amazing. From his abstract pieces of paintings alone, there is a vast array of colors and subtleties in each piece that are in harmony with each other. He truly understands and applies the meaning of Ying/Yang, Feng Shui, form and function, sections and elevations, and all the elements of design in his home that he shares with his wife, Mary.

Even though his design, art work, and teaching take up a good portion of his day, he still works at Bellezza Day Spa three days a week creating hair designs. “This is something that I enjoy so I want to keep working at the salon.”

He and his wife Mary are notorious for visiting antique shows and the myriad of other places where he might find something he can use in a design sense or keep for future use. In keeping his design practice in order, Mrs. Musto is in charge of the books. Both of them worked on the design of their home. She did all the painting and staining of the wood beams and walls while he did all the designing and arranging of the furniture and space planning. He designed some of the lamps, furniture, doorknobs, lighting, artwork, and many other components to complete their home.

“My mind is always working, what can I do with this piece, where can I use this, or what can I add to it to make it something else?” He sees things in a 3-dimensional form and his mind races away thinking of all the opportunities how a certain piece of furniture or object will enhance another creative scene.

When viewing an exhibit, Mr. Musto wants the viewer to remember that the emotion of every line, shape and color is a statement of communication between the artist who records it and the individual who views it. “As an artist I see the vast world around me through a different set of eyes and it becomes my source of inspiration. I choose the medium that best records the emotions and feelings of my subject on canvas.”

As he described how he created the various artworks in his home, some things just happened to be designed by the way they were placed on a table. Certain shapes take place, and he can envision how he would like to complete a piece in that shape. He has mastered the tricks of the trade in using sand, alcohol, wood, paper, wire, cut glass, metals, iron, copper, glue, and many more materials. After you review these objects, one cannot help but say out loud, “Why didn’t I think of that?” “How unique, a different way of seeing objects,” I said to myself, “Mr. Musto takes the simple and makes it profound.”

As a Painter

To briefly understand some of the artwork upon viewing, the Abstract Expressionism movement is considered America’s greatest single contribution to the history of modern art that dominated the New York scene during the 1960’s. It is best described by what it is not, than by what it is. It exalts individualism and the unrestrained expression of inner life through the free application of paint. These artists were free by the former “rules” of painting. Some of the better-known Abstract Expressionism artists are: Willem DeKooning, Arshile Gorky, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack.

Realism began in the early 1800’s and continued until the mid 1850’s. According to Gustave Courbet, “It is a human conclusion which awakened the very forces of man against paganism, Greco-Roman art, the Renaissance, Catholicism, the gods and demi-gods, in short, against the conventional ideal.” Some of the noted French Realists of that time were: Gustave Courbet, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Jean Millet, and Honore Daumier. In America, Winslow Homer began the Realism movement in our country.

As an Interior Designer

As an interior designer his medium becomes the furnishings, fabrics, textures, colors and accessories and the space within the home becomes his canvas. Mr. Musto believes that the God given gift of creativity is in all of us to a certain degree. He feels that it is a holistic way of life and we have a responsibility to ourselves to cultivate it.

When it comes to creating your own personal style, Mr. Musto feels you should follow your own instincts. “Don’t let yourself be hampered by the rules that stifle experimentation or expressions. Be true to yourself; art will add a special dimension to your life.”

Like the proud father, he noted that he and his daughter have already had two “Father/Daughter” art shows. He has taught in the Mansfield and Foxboro adult education school systems for several years. He enjoyed instructing art workshops at Sun Arts in New London, New Hampshire, and at the Round Top Center for the Arts in Damariscotta, Maine. As an Arts Council lecturer, he presented “Expressing Yourself through the Nonverbal Language of Art,” and “Emotionalism and the Quality of Line, Emotional Response to Personal and Social Color.”

Mr. Musto has juried many art show throughout New England and is published in Stylist International “Sharing the Precious Gift of Creativity.”

For further information on James Musto Design Associates, please contact him at 508-564-5334.