Biography

Everyday experience and life are at the heart of Irene Vitale’s work. A Long Island lifer with over 30 years of professional experience, she paints across many themes including seascapes, cityscapes, portraits and boudoir studies. Whether capturing the power and flow of the ocean or the quiet intimacy of self acceptance, her canvases reflect a love of light, movement, and the human spirit.

An alumnus of The Painting Group of New York-founded and mentored by the late renowned caricaturist David Levine and the late Presidential portrait figure painter Aaron Shikler. Irene is one of 25 artists in the documentary ”Portrait of a Lady” aired on HBO in September 2008 celebrating Justice O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court. In conjunction with the documentary and exhibition at The Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. This special project was also featured on the CBS Sunday Morning Show.

The Painting Group of New York
Photo: David Hume Kennerly

Irene began her art education in pastel portraiture with Susanne Young. A recipient of the prestigious Xavier Gonzales Scholarship to The Art Students League of New York, she studied pastels with Harvey Dinnerstein. Over the years Irene’s experimental nature drew her to oil, studying with Carl Lubow followed by the late Daniel B. Schwartz at his Manhattan Atelier. In this new realm, she was able to move beyond the classic approach to ultimately expand, evoke, and infuse more emotion and experimentation in her art.

A full circle moment came in 2009, when as a faculty member at the Art League of Long Island, Irene coordinated the exhibition ‘A Common Thread’ celebrating portraiture and honoring Susanne who first guided her artistic journey.

Beyond her artistic practice, Irene has donated her work to support causes, including Lupus, Arthritis, PAL-O-Mine, Davis Park Beautification, Smithtown Historical Society, and the Paul Saladino Children’s Charity. Dividing her time between Long Island and Coastal Florida, she continues to pursue private commissions, exhibitions, and on going professional development.