ART EDUCATION: I studied with David Leffel in workshops in New Mexico and California. I also have a degree in business.
STYLE: Chiaroscuro. I like there to be mood in the painting.
MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE WAY YOU WORK: People think I use glazes because my paintings are dark. But I don’t. I try to use some background color in all my foreground objects so that the painting looks like I might have used glazes.
SECOND-CHOICE CAREER: A junior college football coach. You get paid well, you don’t get fired easily, and you don’t have to recruit players.
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: I once wondered if I should get a “real” job or try to be an artist. Someone told me, “That business degree isn’t going anywhere. You will always have it in your back pocket.”
CREATIVE SPARK: Trying to paint light.
PRICE RANGE: $1,000 to $14,000.
GALLERIES: M Gallery of Fine Art, Sarasota, FL; Scene Gallery, Newport Beach, CA; McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD; www.josephiantorno.com.
Featured in our annual “21 Under 31” article in September 2009