UTILIZING PAINSTAKING TECHNIQUES OVER 60 YEARS OLD, A LIFELONG NEW JERSEY ARTIST CELEBRATES DECADES OF HEROES AND ICONS

BY LAURA D.C. KOLNOSKI

The intricate art created by Nicholas Gamarello has caught the eyes and earned the patronage of notable personalities from Steven Spielberg and Liza Minnelli to James Taylor and Darryl Hall and John Oates, from Queen Latifah to Senator Barry Goldwater…and to none other than Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra.

Gamarello’ s designs combine time-honored techniques with nostalgic themes. A fashion designer for 30 years, he has worked with Ralph Lauren, Ghurka leather, J.B.Stetson, and Marithe & Francois Girbaud, who recognized his expertise with leather and dyes. Inspired by World War II Air Force squadron patches, fighter planes, and their pilots, his work appears on canvas as well as leather flight jackets reminiscent of those worn in the 1940s

Gamarello’ s talent emerged early, flourishing as he listened to tales told by his father, uncles, and their friends about flying bombers over France and Africa. He fondly recalls his dad sharing memories as they examined the contents of the elder man’ s locker filled with gear and memorabilia.

U.S. Navy officials asked him to illustrate jackets for the Top Gun combat pilot team, and he also created a design for the Patrouille De France, the French equivalent of America’ s precision-flying Thunderbirds. His work has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’ s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.

The Jersey City native, who lives on a farm in Hunterdon County with a studio in Somerset County, expanded his vision to guitar cases and luggage, with themes encompassing Native Americans, classic rockers David Bowie and the Rolling Stones, horses, and motorcycles.

“Since I was a boy, I had an urge to create pictures, especially of people, situations, or items I felt an affinity for,” said the 1975 graduate of Manhattan’ s School of Visual Arts. Initially a fine artist doing reproductions, he turned to commercial illustration for magazines, book publishers, record companies, and other clients. That led to a gig as an assistant at the Macy’ s Thanksgiving Day Parade Studio in Weehawken. At night, however, Gamarello continued working on his own art, which gained popularity and publicity.

“As a result, I received a call from Ralph Lauren,” he related. “He learned my home was minutes from where his private jet was stationed. From the minute we met, we hit it off as kindred spirits. Our story unfolded purely and naturally from sharing mutual artistic passions.” Gamarello worked for the fashion designer for over 12 years as a conceptual designer and assistant. “It was a wonderful experience to apply my talents to such a broad spectrum of so many worlds within worlds.”

His First Hollywood celebrity client was the late comedian David Brenner. (They met through their hairdresser.) Brenner purchased a jacket, then some paintings, and the men became friends, especially after discovering that during WWII, Gamarello’ s father and Brenner’ s brother were stationed at the same airfield. In a 1987 New York Times article, the comedian stated, “He’ s the master of what he does. He manages to capture the innocence of a time gone by that we’ ll never see again, except through Nick’ s eyes.”

For Mel Blanc, who voiced Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck among others, Gamarello created a jacket design featuring a montage of his characters and bearing the phrase “What’ s up, Doc?”and depicting Porky Pig flying a P-51 Mustang. Blanc frequently wore the jacket on talk shows.

But Gamarello’ s Sinatra story tops them all.

“In the late 1970s, I was assigned to paint a promotional poster for records Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey recorded during WWII for troops abroad,” he recalled. “An art director at RCA Records was a fan of my work, but felt it had the sensibilities of a bygone era and wasn’ t sure how it translated for current times. When this assignment came through, he called and said he had a job that was just meant for me.”

Sinatra contacted Gamarello to say how much he liked the poster and asked to buy it. The pair negotiated a deal and the artist was invited to hand-deliver it to the singer at a concert in Atlantic City. Afterward, Sinatra commissioned Gamarello to paint a flight jacket for his wife, modeled after a WASP (Women’ s Air Service Pilot) WWII flight jacket with the singer’ s image, “aptly titled ‘ Perfectly Frank,’” Gamarello said with a grin, adding, “I was honored to work for him.”

The prolific artist still accepts commissions. Clients often become repeat customers, including a retired fashion executive who owns 15 Gamarello paintings. He has also been commissioned as official poster artist for The National Horse Show and The Hampton’ s Classic Horse Show, and recently showed his work at fashion venues in New York City, Las Vegas, and Brooklyn.

The current free Morristown public exhibition is open during business hours through January 5, including First Night Morris County on New Year’ s Eve.

“It is a wonderful feeling to have my work acknowledged and presented by a prestigious New Jersey museum,” Gamarello said.

Nicholas Gamarello Fall/Winter Invitational Exhibit / Atrium Art Gallery Morris County Administration Building / 10 Court Street Morristown / morrisarts.org / nicholasgamarello@hotmail.com