Salvatore James Gulino
Salvatore James Gulino is an Educator and Artist who lives and works in Dunedin, FL. He is currently the Visual Art Department Chair at Dunedin High School, and joined the DFAC faculty team in 2019, teaching summer art camp and studio classes. Sal received his B.S. in Art Education from the University of Central Florida. Throughout his teaching career his instruction has helped produce many award-winning art students – and while this has been his primary focus, he has also shown his own work in dozens of exhibitions along the way. With notes of surrealism, his conceptual, assemblage sculpture thoughtfully juxtaposes and carefully balances select found objects with hand-built subject matter that communicate dynamic, visual narratives.
About Time
At the intersection of where and when – the encounters, opportunities, triumphs, or tragedies that happen in that timing, and often alter trajectories – all seems like a phenomenon in hindsight. This body of work explores notions of Time and the resulting experiences and affects therein. Broadly categorized into representations of Past, Present, and Future – each work communicates something deeper – our memories of the Past might carry with them nostalgia or regret, pace and urgency often rule the Present, and yet somehow, we must continually step into the Future with hope and courage.
Process
The found object is central to my way of work. As I move through the world, I see most everything as a potential sculptural material. Everything I take in visually, I suppose passes through that lens, like a filter held up to my subconscious. Some things ignite an idea and bring it into my consciousness. The object, maybe on the side of the road otherwise destined to be discarded or waiting somewhere to be thrifted, becomes the point of origin for most of my compositions. But on occasion, it is the idea that comes first, and then I hunt for the ready-made parts I envision. In either case, I see in the object aesthetic value, and attribute to it symbolic meaning within the context of the idea. I find it gratifying to sort of rescue something from obscurity and perhaps give it a more permanent value than the original purpose for which it was intended. With an emphasis on visual balance, I work to juxtapose found objects – most often with an assortment of wood and metal, and at times hand-sculpted subject matter when sensible. It takes a variety of building, assemblage, and sculpting methods, as well as superficial applications for texture and color, to create physical connections with structural integrity and transitions that are deliberate and seamless when desired. I try to be mindful of how the viewer will engage with the work, and while I am intentional in how I seek to communicate narratives in what I hope is a dynamic way, still I am careful to maintain enough ambiguity to leave room for interpretation.
