saluto to Carmen Joseph LaBello

This past weekend Carmen LaBello, Sr. passed away.  It was an honor to be able to sing at his memorial service.  I have been moved and inspired by how he lived as an artist and a man of God, offering his brilliance, his creative joy, and his heart to our local church.   This poem is an impressionistic take on the part of his life that I had the privilege to observe, and what I learned from the memorial service.  Many of us church artists have much to learn from his legacy.

a giant

small of stature

a rainbow of paint on his apron

remarkably steady open hands

broad smile and warm Italian countenance

a throwback to Renaissance days

he might have filled galleries

but chose to paint his love of life and God and family

onto the easel of the church

such an eye

capturing reality with accuracy

re-fashioning it with dexterity

an impeccable link from eye to brain

to imagination to hand

and gigantic heart

warming the room by his presence

filling the space with color

shape, shade and perspective

and a Tuscan command of the art of living

his life a masterwork

his community his gallery

splashing color and joy

wherever his brush

his chisel

his smile

and the lively art of conversation

would take him

ah where he arrives now

there must be

canvas-perfetto

and brushes-delicato

and oh

the colors of the light

Buon viaggo, Carmen.