Original "I See Red" Painting by Pasquale Giovanni (ft. LaRue Calliet Jr.)

Back in the year of 2022, I found myself in a relationship where I was very in love with someone that struggled from mental illness. Through out this time in my life, I realized how loving someone to a default can make you feel trapped and isolated from everything. This individual taught me a lot about patience, and how everyone has a breaking point when they're not being heard correctly, or heard at all. I reached my breaking point at several points within that relationship. 

This was a very dark and intense time of my life, where I was subject to a lot of emotional highs and lows, as that is just a packaged deal when you deeply love someone that struggles from mental illness. Eventually, the isolation I went through led me to shutting down any artistic expression, and I eventually came to a point where I refrained from being on social media due to this person's difficulties and insecurities surrounding trust. Altogether, I stopped producing art. I didn't see a point in doing it anymore if I wasn't allowed to use social media to share my passion with the world.

I also learned about loving myself better. Once everything came to an end, I made a promise to myself that I'll never sacrifice what I love again out of the insecurities of someone else. The interesting thing I noticed was that through out my time loving that person, I seemed to catch subtle glimpses of red, almost as if it were haunting me everywhere I went. Various things like red cardinals, red doors, and red apparel kept reappearing in my life, which led me to thinking of what red stands for. 

Red is not just an intense color relating to anger, danger, or chaos. It's also a very loving, sensual, captivating hue that symbolizes so much more...in terms of life, death, birth, and rebirth. So when I see red, I now see it every way possible. This piece was visually inspired by an Atlanta native photographer, LaRue Calliet, Jr., who understood my vision for a reinterpretation of his work. To view his work, see the links provided under "The Red Series" tab, where I go more into depth about the inspiration for the series.

As for the art itself, the piece went on to snag an honorable mention at the Heart and Soul Art gallery, in Marietta, GA. It was then that I started pushing forward this red vendetta to start a twelve part series, although that could change as the red ideas continue to flow and grow. Needless to say, here is "volume one" of the red series. Like most of my other pieces, the creative process can be viewed on my Youtube Channel (once uploaded). I have provided a clip of earlier progress. I hope this piece finds a home to someone looking for some intensity that fits their style.