{image1}Freelance illustrator and painter Gabe Lanza is a Milwaukee native, but his boundaries have been expanding beyond Brew City for a while now and some of his most recent clients have international reputations.
From hometown faves like Bella's Fat Cat to Harley-Davidson, Klement's Sausage to Utne Reader, INC. magazine, The Progressive and Washington's City Paper, Lanza's colorful, evocative work is traveling far and wide.
He's had shows across the country but the latest is right here at home.
"Gabe Lanza -- New Works" will open on Gallery Night, Friday, July 23, at Grava Gallery, 1224 E. Brady St., and will comprise new abstract and figurative paintings that draw inspiration from the bright, often cartoonish images that adorned toys and commercial packaging in the 1950s and '60s, Lanza says.
"The show is all new work. Bright, flat compositions, which pull color reference from old tin toys and packaging. Robots always seem to be the focus even when I tell myself not, too. However, expect some "lounge" looks and robot Mexican wrestler heads."
Lanza, who earned a BFA in Illustration in 1999 at MIAD and studied in 1997 at New York's Parsons School of Design, likes to keep his work varied, he says.
"I am a freelance illustrator and fine artist," he says on his Web site. "My talents as an artist are not restricted to size or medium used. I love hand drawing to express my ideas and prefer traditional sketches to express ideas and concepts before moving on to final production."
But, in the end, Lanza says, he wants to enjoy what he's doing. And it is that infectious enjoyment that makes his work such a joy to experience.
"My favorite part of any painting, as well as the most time consuming, is hand painting all the outlines. I just get a kick out of it, almost therapeutic. There is no deep meaning to my work. I draw and paint for fun. There are just too many goof-ball ideas, people and dreams out there to stop what your doing and try to make sense of it all."
"Gabe Lanza -- New Works" will be on view at Grava (414-277-8228) through Aug. 28, 2004.
A complete schedule of Gallery Night events and a list of participants can be seen here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
