My name is Alex Di Iorio. Since I was able to use my hands, I have been creating art. I have always had a creative mind. During every year in high school, I participated in a fine arts class. Under the supervision of my teacher, Mark Bailey, I absorbed lessons not only about the field of art, but about life as well. Mr. Bailey soon became more than a teacher to me; he became a mentor and a friend when I needed one most.
During my years in high school, I completed five different portraits. The first was a full-body study of a friend. The second was one that I worked on independently, outside of class. During the summer of 2010 I drew a portrait of (at the time) my girlfriend. It was the first close-up study that I had completed, and I was actually pleasantly surprised with the results.
I graduated and left for college the following summer, where I would study architecture. At the graduation ceremony I received the RISD Annual Art Award, which is an award given to one student, nominated by his or her teacher, who exhibits excellence in art and is continuing their study of art in college. But before all that could happen, I completed three more portraits, all done during my senior year of high school. The two self portraits which you will see on the site are interesting and adventurous. I am very proud of them, as they both include elements that one normally would not see in a traditional portrait. The third portrait which I completed that year was a tribute to an exceptional student and athlete, named Michael Ellsessar, whom my school lost due to a football accident.
High school was a rough journey. I left for college hoping for change, and found it, but not in the way I expected to. It was during this year, studying architecture, when I realized that I liked the psychological aspects of architecture better than designing my own structures. Maybe my designs were not the best architecturally speaking, but I consistently received high remarks on the quality of my drawings. In my spring semester I took a drawing class. It was unlike anything I experienced during high school. It was at this time that I realized I did not enjoy creating art with media such as pencil and charcoal, in a classroom setting, but rather on my own time. I am now studying psychology at Roger Williams University, with an already secured minor in architecture, and a prospective minor in graphic design communication. I am looking to bridge psychology with design.
Aside from drawing portraits, I enjoy discovering new music, writing poetry, playing guitar and drums, women, cooking, and fantasizing about completely idealistic situations in my head.
-Alex S. Di Iorio
