ARTEGENNARO
El Arte de gennaro garcia
la historia de gennaro
Artist Gennaro Garcia and his father, Luciano Garcia Michael, have carved out a niche for themselves that crosses different times, cultures, and countries. Seventy-year-old Luciano came from a small town in Mexico called La Huerta Jalisco, where his family owned La Hacienda Los Ciruelos. As a young man, he learned to work the family farm, and it was in those fields where he gained his loveof growing and preparing fine food, and working with his hands. He came to America 35 years ago in pursuit of his dreams, working again in agriculture until he could return to Mexico and open a family resaurant with his brothers. He returned to America several times and eventually opened another resaurant on the border of the United States and Mexico, where he remained retired in Bullhead City Arizona with his beloved wife, Martha.
Luciano's love of the restaurant business wasn't lost on his son. Gennaro grew up in and around the family's resaurants. But along with his passion for fine cuisine, Gennaro discovered a passion for the arts. It wasn't enough to prepare the foods he loved, he wanted to paint and photograph them - along with the scenery, people and places that created the memories and experiences that captured his heart and sustained his family. He studied graphic design and photography in Mexico, paying his way through school by painting signs and murals for local restaurants, and eventually entered the restaurant business with his family. After opening his third restaurant, he moved to Yuma, Arizona. This is where he started working as a General Manager in a Mexican restaurant in his spare time. Later he moved to Phoenix. This is where he continued to pursue his art, while again managing another Mexican restaurant and staying in the restaurant business, this was until Mia Pratt saw his uniqueartwork in a local restaurant and immediately offered him a position as Muralist on the Old Pratt Studios team in 2002. He still continues his association as Senior Staff Artist.
Gennaro has traveled to Spain, France, Italy, England, Africa, and Latin America to visit museums, cathedrals, and churches of the world, where he gets his ideas of Retablos and other Iconic art.
Inspired by his son, Luciano began sculpting small crosses and religious figures for Gennaro, which Gennaro in-turn painted. It was their deep, mutual love of their ancestry, art and religion that brough this father and son together at this point in their lives. They share the unexpected joy of creating the beautifully hand-crafted icons for which they have gained wide recognition. Together, these men now work with their hands in a new and different way - to share their love for each other, theri history, and their passion.