A
rt is one of those things in
life that that is all around
us. It can be experienced in
unlimited presentations and
enjoyed by all the senses.
Personally, I don’t take enough
time to appreciate the talent that
crosses my path every day. We are
creatures of habit. Listening to
the same music, going to the same
museums, and so on. When I do make
my way to a museum, I tend to
gravitate to my favorite pieces. One
of the best ways for me to discover
something new if I’m not out and
about, is in a book. Recently I was
given a copy of Layla Fanucci’s “City
of Dreams Unabridged” art book and
it really touch me. I knew from the
moment I laid eyes on the first
piece, that I have found a new artist
that is going to be a staple in my
personal favorites.
Born in San Francisco in 1957, Layla
Fanucci’s artistic talent was first
expressed in music. Fanucci, along
with her brother and sister, was
encouraged by her parents to study
multiple instruments, learning to
play the piano, clarinet, and guitar.
She went on to teach the guitar,
putting herself through San
Francisco State University by giving
lessons. She pursued a degree in
sociology, and graduated in 1980.
Fanucci had married her husband
Robert the previous year and in
1981 they moved with their infant
daughter to New York City, where he
attended law school, and where they
had a second daughter. Four years
later they also had a son. They
returned to California after two
years in New York, and eventually
the family settled in St. Helena,
in the Napa Valley, where Robert
practices tax law and produces wine,
and Layla has her painting studio.
Beginning in 1975, Fanucci taught
music and guitar both privately,
and in schools, ranging from the
elementary to the high school level.
She became the director of music at
the St. Helena Catholic Church, and
wrote and directed concerts at the
church’s elementary school. Fanucci
has noted that of her many roles,
it was composing music that gave
her the most gratification. In the
next stage of her creative life, this
impulse for artistic invention was
to be given full reign. In 1999, she
found herself wanting some “big,
live art” (as she describes it) for
her home. Finding nothing to her
liking, she bought some art supplies
and created a large, colorful
abstract painting.
Fanucci’s first painting opened
the floodgates to the hundreds of
paintings that have emerged during
the ensuing years. By 2000, she was
ready to stop teaching music and
devote herself full-time to making
art. She followed her first painting
with a version of Matisse’s The Red
Studio, followed by two other works
inspired by the same artist. Then
she began to create portraits of
her family, still life, city scenes,
and abstractions with figures. These
paintings, while diverse in character,
often had vibrant color, bold forms,
energetic brush strokes, and a sense
that whatever the style, the
painting was charged with
underlying emotion. Fanucci’s
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