Life-inspired art that speaks
By Jillian Chandler
“I am compelled. I am driven. I must create!”
The internationally known, award-winning fine artist, Torenzo Gann is bringing his passion for art a bit closer to home for those of us in Pierce County.
“While painting Galloping Gertie was a phenomenal experience, so was my extensive research!” shares the artist. “It was so interesting to learn about its history; how Galloping Gertie earned its place in history.”
The original painting was commissioned by a Fox Island resident (and close friend of a family member), who was born in Tacoma and an enthusiast of Galloping Gertie’s history. The project took Torenzo nearly six months to complete.
This powerful, unique work is now available as an exquisite reproduction. Each giclée is uniquely different as a result of Torenzo’s personal, individual color enhancement on each canvas. His rendition of the Galloping Gertie - The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse - Limited Edition Giclée Prints are available now. With just 10 prints offered, at a price of $2,500 each, each print is 27x30 and canvas wrapped on 1 ½-inch stretcher bars, eliminating the need for framing.
There is free shipping on this limited-edition canvas, and Torenzo will be donating 25 percent of sales to the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank and Community Services, or another local charitable organization of the purchaser’s choice.
Torenzo first discovered the Pacific Northwest three years ago while visiting family members in the area. After a non-stop flight from Palm Beach International and arriving in Seattle at 10pm, the following morning he awakened in the beautiful community of Snoqualmie. “When touring the spectacular countryside, the words ‘majestic beauty’ played over and over in my mind,” he recalls. “The scenery was amazing! The views were stunning.”
He would return the following year to deliver his painting, Galloping Gertie, to its new home. “That’s when I first experienced the quaint yet extraordinary Fox Island and Gig Harbor communities,” Torenzo smiles. “I recall thinking, ‘What a fabulous location to retreat to and spend a month painting.’”
Torenzo majored in illustration at Kendall College of Art and Design. After successfully completing his first year back in 1968, he would leave Kendall to self-educate in the areas of painting, photography and filmmaking.
During the next two decades, he found himself immersed in creating art, winning awards and becoming a nationally known artist, all while battling addiction. Torenzo would abandon his love of creating art to confront the crisis of his alcoholism. “As a result of receiving treatment and getting sober, I pursued the treatment field and became a certified counselor so that I could help others who have struggled with alcoholism and other drug addiction,” he shares.
Twenty years later, in 2015, Torenzo would return to his life’s original passion and work—creating works of art.
“I feel a deep responsibility and calling to create works of art that reveal and contemplate the beauty in the everyday objects we all find around us in this amazing universe created by God,” says Torenzo.
This became a rebirth in his career, and since his return to crafting his unique masterpieces, the artist has exhibited—and continues to exhibit—in numerous national and international shows; his most recent an opening at the Palm Beach Showroom in Lake Worth, Florida.
Offering contemporary realism, abstract expressionism in oil, acrylic, sculpture, and the work of social relevance, Torenzo invites you to shop his gallery and commissioned art pieces, which can be found online at TorenzoArt.com.
With an unrestrained passion and unending quest for seeing and creating art, Torenzo readily awaits to see what's next.
Torenzo Art
561.818.6259