Orazio Salati's Original Paintings to Appear in Independent Film

[BINGHAMTON, NY] Henry David Thoreau said, "The world is but a canvas to the imagination." When Orazio Salati, a Binghamton artist, met Eric C. Lindstrom, a filmmaker, this past fall, neither knew how much canvas and imagination would become the connector in their lives.

"When producing a film there are countless pieces that need to be put into place," said Eric C Lindstrom. "When our director, Kevin Hicks, decided to build a custom sound-stage for our film we knew we would need to decorate the walls. Orazio's artwork immediately came to mind."

Represented by Montserrat Gallery in NYC, Orazio's work has been shown nationally and internationally. Most recently he was invited to exhibit at the Firenze Biennale, Florence Italy. His work has also been shown in New York City in group shows and 9 solo exhibitions, as well as in numerous private collections nationally and has been featured on NBC. It was this high level of artistic quality Lindstrom wanted on the walls of the café in this new independent film.

"I have always had a love for Abstract Expressionism, the freedom it gives, the color usage and textural quality it can posses. Abstractions are currently my expression," said Orazio. "Mixed media pieces with collage photographs has been my main emphasis over the last few years, but I choose to express only in acrylic paint on canvas for this series of work in the film. They are all abstractions of landscapes with a feel of the surreal, spirituality, and vibrant color. When Eric originally contacted me about actors for the film he also asked to use some of my work for the set. I said yes and painted 5 new works for the project."

"It was a great honor to have Orazio Salati's artwork in the first place but I never would have dreamt he would create five original pieces for the set," said Eric C Lindstrom from his office in Ithaca, NY. The paintings are each 24" x 30" acrylic on canvas and will likely be sought after once filming commences.

"Waiting on Alphie" features two main characters, Gus and Alphie. Gus, flown in from Chicago to Buffalo, meets Alphie at an café and awaits the order - which will come via the café's payphone - on whether to kill Alphie or let him go. The two spend the night in a classic stand-off and share barbs, appetizers and stories about "the life." The original screenplay was written by the film's director, Kevin Hicks who has numerous other screenplays to his name.

Oriazio Salati is a graduate of Buffalo State which is where the film takes place and three of the principle actors hail from. For more on this film, please contact Eric C Lindstrom at 607-277-8901 or visit www.waitingonalphiemovie.com.