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without sharing the profits
with the students, de’Masi
has little work to show from
that period.
Not only did he flourish
creatively back then, de’Ma-
si was also primed to repre-
sent Naples as a professional
soccer player. Departing his
native country at such a time
and age made the transition
difficult, especially since the
bustling metropolis was a far
cry from the representation
of America’s spacious and
untamed countryside por-
trayed in the western films
de’Masi watched with his
brothers.
“I never liked it,” he
said. “I always wanted to go
back.”
He had the opportunity as
a young man in his 20s, after
serving with the U.S. Navy
and traveling to Italy, assist-
ing the admiral by translating
and sharing insight into the
country. Upon his mother’s
wishes, however, de’Masi
returned to the U.S.
There are times he feels
the sting of disappointment
for opportunities he might
have had — such as a profes-
sional soccer career — were
COLIN MURPHEY PHOTO
Oscar de’Masi holds up an example of his work now displayed in his new studio in Astoria.
he not moved from Italy
when he was.
“When the visa came,
when I was 15, that dream
went out the window,” he
said. “It is still stuck in my
throat, and it doesn’t want to
come up and it doesn’t want
to go down.”
Projecting emotions
He considers himself
significantly fortunate, how-
ever, because of his family,
including his wife, Patricia,
whom he met while dealing
blackjack in Las Vega, and
his daughter and two sons.
As for life’s more
disappointing turns, he has
made peace. His experiences
— moving to Las Vegas in
1980; owning and cooking
at restaurants; working in
casinos; meeting interesting
people, even celebrities; and
caring for his younger sister
during the final years of her
fight against cancer — have
molded his perspective and
approach to art.
Part of the impetus for
switching his career from
card dealing to food service
was to help balance, in a
larger scheme, his participa-
tion in the gambling industry,
which he saw bring misery
to many people.
“I was making people
unhappy,” he said. “After
a while, I realized what I
was doing, and it didn’t feel
good. But when I cooked,
it was a whole different
ballgame.”
The same is true of his
work as an artist.
“I paint things to move
people,” he said, adding that
every piece of work tells
a story. He believes art is
a way to project his inner
emotions — “When I do a
painting, I’m completely
involved,” he said — and
elicit the same in people who
view his work.
Art is also, he feels, a way
to gain a certain immortality.
Breaking free
Two themes are embed-
ded in a couple of de’Masi’s
series.
The first is breaking free
from systems of oppression
or monotony to become the
truest version of oneself.
This theme is represented
in a few pieces by carousel
horses that break away, find-
ing genuine life.
The second is the desire
to leave home that most
young people possess, which
is symbolized by the charac-
ter Red Riding Hood. Going
into “the woods” can have
various meanings for differ-
ent people, but leaving home
inevitably leads to facing the
often frightening unknown.
De’Masi has also started
working on a series of
paintings that draw inspira-
tion from Astoria’s history
and landmarks. He hopes
to eventually produce these
images on souvenir items.
Having his gallery double
as his studio is important to
de’Masi. People who stop
by can talk to him in person
about the artwork and hear
the story behind each piece.
“I’m hoping my art will
trigger some emotion or
memory or event, or make
someone realize something,
or give a person something
in just a day that will pick
them up,” he said.
For more information
about the gallery, visit dema-
siscreations.com. CW
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