J. A. Lauretta is a multi-media graduate from the Newark School of Fine Arts in New Jersey and completed his studies of art at Glendale College in Arizona.

He has shown and sold his work throughout the west. His other talents include mastering Italian Cuisine as Chef and owner of his own restaurant on the Oregon Coast.

Ceremonial Dancers of the West is a collection of original drawings executed in a mixed media of prismacolor, pastels, conte' crayons and charcoal pencils. The works are a highly stylized combination of realism and abstract. The main area of focus is the interplay of light and motion that innately belongs to or affects any given subject. The use of cross-complimentary colors creates an additional visual vibration that enhances the feeling of movement a step further.

The inspiration was drawn from the time he lived in Arizona and had the opportunity to attend the Powwows of numerous tribes that populate the American Southwest, in particular, the Navajos and the Apaches. He became fascinated by their culture and the reverence for nature as displayed through their ritual dances. It was the pageantry of motion and color evident in the dancers regalia, combined with the presence of the sacred and mystical that motivated him to produce these testimonials to a lifestyle and tradition before it vanishes into folklore.

He pursued his fascination with motion and color when he moved to Lake Tahoe and began observing the never ceasing movement of the waves, the cloud patterns reflected in it's surface and the changes in color and shadows. The Lake's magical and spiritual quality inspired him to create a series of drawings depicting the emotions of that period. This trend continued and intensified when he moved to the Northwest. He executed a series of wave studies attempting to capture the effect of wind and storms on the ocean of the Oregon coast.

In recent years, he has focused his talents on attaining the illusion of 3-D on two-dimensional surface. In his last collection of works, he abandoned the traditional artist's canvas in favor of plexiglas panels. Spray paints and acrylics are applied using toothbrushes, scrub brushes and other unconventional media in order to create a three-dimensional effect that cannot normally be achieved in two-dimensional media. These techniques were used in an attempt to capture the immense beauty of the universe. Although planning and composition are important, spontaneity and improvisation are it's key elements. The blending of chaos with a sense of order, is in essence, an attempt to simulate conditions found in the creation of the universe and the matter within it. As his subject matter is constantly changing, so will his styles. As the universe expands, so must his art and imagination

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