Tony Chimento is a realist painter who lived and worked in Provincetown in the 1980s. He now lives in Florida and is represented in Provincetown by the Simie Maryles Gallery. Chimento’s Summer Porch captures a moment in early summer when the world sheds its gray overcoat and is suddenly, beautifully wrapped in bright green. —Katy Abel

Q: Is the painting of a specific place?

My late husband and I would take little road trips to museums and art centers around Florida. Summer Porch was the back porch of a studio in St. Petersburg.

 

Q: How do you work out your compositions?

The technique is always the same. These days, I use the computer to make basic sketches. I used to do it the long way: I would make color sketches and compositional sketches, but it would take so long that once I started painting on the actual canvas, I was out of energy. I switched to the computer to do the preliminary drawings. Once I have the composition right, I use photographs to fill in information. I pick and choose from a lot of different sources.

 

Q: Have you always worked from photographs?

 I’ve worked from both life and photographs. When I had a larger studio in South Beach, I would buy interior furniture and create these tableaus and paint from life. As I downsized, I began working from photographs, which can be limiting, but I take liberties. Sometimes I don’t like a composition, so I change the aspect ratio or include things that weren’t in the photograph. I don’t think I could work from a photograph if I hadn’t had all those years working from life.

 

Q. How does this painting deviate from its photographic source?

I included the dog and the Buddha for compositional purposes, to draw attention to the center of the piece.

 

Q: How do you hope this painting is experienced by the viewer?

It sounds silly, but I love when people have the reaction, “Wow, that looks so real!” I know that I accomplished my goal. It means I got them to stop and linger.

I’m always looking to create a mood; people comment that my work seems very contemplative. I like that because I want my work to be a place for people to come and rest. A summer porch is a place where people relax. In a world where the ugly and the violent seem so out of proportion, it’s nice to rest with a little beauty.

 

Q: Why did you choose to make a green painting?

It just turned out that way. I’ve never been a big fan of green, but green seemed so right for this piece. It felt very breezy and cool to me, just the kind of day you can imagine where the temperature is in the 70s.

 

Q: What role does color play in your realist paintings?

The bright colors and the contrast are a signature of my work. I remember as a child coming down to Florida and seeing all these painted billboards. In those days, they were actually painted. They were realistic, commercial illustrations, and when I first saw them, I said, “I want to be a billboard painter!” When I’m making realist paintings, the color does tend to get more saturated, but I never want to push it so far that it doesn’t look real.