Dallas Voice (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 20, No. 19, Ed. 1 Friday, September 5, 2003 Page: 36 of 64

                                
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art
J[ Climbing the tree of success
Dallas painter Jay Maggio hits stride with dream job
By Robert Ross
Contributing Writer
"It's nice that you are talented and artistic,
but to get along in the world you need to get
a real job." Painter Jay Maggio recalls getting
this time-honored advice when he said he
wanted to be an artist.
That turned out to be bad counsel. Today
Maggio earns a living as a painter whose
work is widely admired — and widely pur-
chased. The Pan American Art Gallery will
show several of his paintings in its new show
Landscapes of the Americas. But a lot happened
between Maggio's childhood in New Roads,
La., and his success as an artist.
When he entered Louisiana State
University, he majored in applied design, but
financial problems prevented him from com-
pleting a degree. Deciding it was time to get a
"real job" after all, he moved to Dallas and
earned an associate's degree in automotive
marketing at Northwood University.
"Homesick for trees and gumbo," as
Maggio puts it, he returned to Louisiana to
sell cars in 1981 and spent the next nine years
working in various dealerships. There was no
time for painting.
"I finally came out in New Orleans — a
good place to come out with a bang," Maggio
points out. "Yet, in spite of New Orleans' Old
World charm and other obvious attractions, I
started missing Dallas. In fact, I don't think I
actually lived in the United States until I
moved out of Louisiana. The two cities could-
n't be more different, but it's easier living in
Dallas. And it's a comfortable place to be
gay-"
After returning to Texas in 1990, Maggio
worked first for an auto-related software com-
pany. He still didn't find much time to paint,
but by 1995 he had produced a few works,
which he showed to Alan Barnes at Dallas's
Victorian Gallery. Much impressed, Barnes
encouraged Maggio to start painting serious-
ly and get enough work together for a show.
But five years passed before the show took
place. During that time, Maggio tried various
jobs and eventually took up bartending, so he
could work at night and paint during the day.
"Four years after I first went to the
Victorian Gallery I saw Barnes again, this time
with more paintings. He even remembered
me and promised me a show, which took
place in April of 2000. Two days before the
show opened one of my pieces sold for $7,500.
Five more sold during the show," Maggio
remembers — obviously with pleasure.
For the next three years, the Karen Mitchell
Frank Gallery represented Maggio, who
became its top-selling artist. When that
gallery closed recently, three others offered to
represent him, but he followed Cris Worley
Good wood: Maggio finds glistening inspiration from the loneliness of trees.
from the Frank Gallery to her new job as
director of Pan American.
During a pre-show of Maggio's work that
will be on display at the spacious and inviting
Lee Park location, Worley explained the
gallery's objective: "We want to pan the
Americas and show artists from the western
hemisphere on par with one another. And we
are really pleased to have Jay's fine work
included in this show." It looks like Maggio is
in good company. The show includes several
Cuban artists, a Canadian, a Jamaican and
even another Texan, Darlene Wall.
Summing up an artist's work in 25 words
or less presents a problem. He paints trees,
but not just plain old trees. They glisten, they
live, they speak. Maybe it would be wiser to
quote from Maggio's "artist's statement:"
"The lone, large tree in an infinite expanse of
land reflects a feeling of oneness, inspiring a
sense that we represent a small but important
part of our country, our world, our universe."
Maggio is doing better these days than if
he had a "real job." ▼
Pan American Art Gallery, 3303 Lee Park and
Hall Street, Suite 101. Opening, Sept. 5, 6-9 p.m.
Regular hours: Tue.-Pri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat., 12-
6 p.m. 214-522-3303.
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SEPTEMBER 5, 2003
DALLAS VOICE