PHILOSOPHY OF AESTHETICS

Ethnicity, geography and national boundaries determine the languages of nations, while the visual language is inherently universal. The ubiquitous elements of line, shape, color, form and texture combine with the dynamics of balance, unity, tension and pattern to articulate the gamut of human experiences, on physical, emotional and spiritual levels. Our hearts intuitively understand imagery. The message of beauty resonate within us. The essence of Eden’s glory continues to ripple through time to arouse our passion for beauty.  Art often embodies the glory of God. After all, the first verb in the Bible is “created.” Yes, we are His offspring and should always nurture our innate creativity for the greater good.

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Creativity is a default function of being human. It separates us from all other life forms. Just as breathing sustains life, so creativity sustains the soul and its instinct for life - life’s perpetuation and elevation. We instinctively live tenaciously in the way we are uniquely gifted, always becoming more like ourselves or our God breathed aspirations. Creativity moves us forward and upward! We purposefully awake to win, to creatively defy time and grasp timelessness, while physical death remains incontestable. Yet, we create to transcend this carnal captivity and reach for the favorable mystery of forever.

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The whole of art is the art of living creatively within the moments of life.  This makes us divinely human. We join with Providence to fabricate better todays with a hope of wonderful tomorrows. So every person is an artist. Having been created himself there is no escaping creativity. It emerges in a thousand decisions made each moment of every day, whether fully aware or merely instinctive. Our choices of love and attitude are the most formative colors in the creative process of becoming a masterpiece that may or may not be completed in a lifetime.

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CILLUFFO'S BACKGROUND

As a toddler, Joe played with the boxes not the toys. As a youngster, he melted his crayons instead of "coloring in the lines."  At age fourteen, he incurred several broken bones and a concussion from a bicycle accident. While recovering, his God-given talents were discovered as he began oil painting.  One-man shows and art sales filled his high school and college years.  

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Joe studied at Wayne State University and graduated with an outstanding portfolio, a Bachelors, and Masters degrees.  His Ph.D. thesis, entitled “Empowered Teachers,” is in its second edition, along with his second book, “Prayer – Walking & Talking With God.”  His third publication, “God & Graphics,” is an online course about God’s visual language, the use of technology and the creative process.

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Joe has taught Kindergarten through university seniors, senior citizens, and prison inmates.  He especially enjoys short-term mission trips with his high schoolers. He has been an administrator of Home-Educators and is currently a Bible teacher and Digital Media teacher at Oakland Christian School, and ministers in five local churches on weekends. 

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CILLUFFO'S MIX-MEDIA

Many of Cilluffo's fine art works combine photography, ink, watercolor, acrylics, pastels, colored pencil, and digital imaging. The nature of each medium maximizes the unique visual and textural qualities of his subjects. He is known for painting Michigan’s historic subjects, including lighthouses and Mackinac Island scenes. His realistic renderings and his impressionistic interpretations capture the experiential essence of his favorite vacation spots. His most recent work is far more interpretive and abstractly executed with bold brushstrokes, splashes, flinging, spattering and squirting paint while integrating paper, canvas and plastic substrates. Joe’s work continues to win the awards in the USA and abroad.    

 

Joe also enjoys creating book and magazine covers. He is published in Africa, Asia, Central America and the USA.  Pottery is another of his interests. He employs the earthy and historical methods of Raku firing.

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