If patrons of Esposito Pizza choose a table at the right vantage point, they can enjoy their delicious dishes while simultaneously gazing upon three original works of art by Italian artist Jesse Demolli: a mural, a series of vegetable paintings and windows adorned with Christmas scenes.
And those aren’t the only windows he’s painted for the holiday season. Different businesses around the Tampa Bay area are fortunate enough to be graced with his tinseled touch.
“Sometimes, people say we are officially in the Christmas season once they see me,” Demolli said.
Demolli grew up in Florence, a faithful city where the holy holiday of Christmas is celebrated perhaps even more festively than in the United States. He studied at the Academy of Fine Art in his hometown.
“My first public art was Christmas decoration,” Demolli said.
Friends and family members began asking him to paint the windows of their restaurants and businesses with a colorful display of “Buon Natale,” which means “Merry Christmas” in Italian.
Demolli moved to the U.S. in 1994, and his love for Christmas-themed art came with him. He and his wife eventually became Floridians, to be closer to their daughter, a Plant City resident, and other family members.
Though he forms most designs in his head for his window paintings, if a business owner requests something specific, he will gladly comply. At a fitness center in Tampa, Demolli painted a rather muscular Santa on the beach, and in Clearwater, a Jewish business owner asked for a Star of David and menorah. His work is also seen on windows in Lakeland, Bradenton, Palmetto and other nearby cities.
In Plant City, he expects to create more designs around town before the Christmas season is over.
“I have the best ideas when it comes to Christmas, because I grew up with it,” Demolli said. “It’s the best time of the year. It’s something for everybody. Not only the children with their toys, but also the older people get happy.”
For these Christmas displays, he first sketches an outline on the window with a marker, and then finishes the masterpiece with acrylic paint. This medium is easy to remove, which he typically does during the first week of January, but some business owners have kept the decorations on their windows for months.
Demolli’s work is hardly restricted to Santa, reindeer, elves and snowmen. He is a professional public artist year-round, with much of his work being murals and macro art. These are on display at businesses, museums, churches and public spaces all over the U.S.
“Good public art has to say something about the public. It says, ‘This is who we are. This is where we come from, this is what we want, this is what we think,’” he said.
One of Demolli’s most-loved forms of painting is the nostalgic mural. Many business owners who have commissioned him — specifically, restaurant owners — have requested murals of their hometowns or other places that are close to their hearts. As they point out the finished piece to their customers, tears of pride sometimes form in their eyes, Demolli said.
Esposito Pizza displays one of Demolli’s nostalgic murals on its back wall. The painting shows a beach scene and the city of Naples, the restaurant owner’s hometown.
A different wall at Esposito Pizza features a series of large paintings of vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and others. Demolli said he was inspired by Florida’s agriculture when he created this macro art. A similar set of paintings is on display at The Corner Store.
Coming from a highly religious city, Demolli is familiar with and skilled in sacred art, as well. At First Assembly of God in Mulberry, in Polk County, he painted a 13-foot face of Jesus and some biblical text. In other churches around the country he has painted scenes from biblical passages, cathedral ceilings and more.
No matter what piece he is working on, Demolli hopes it will be personally relatable for anyone who views it.
“I always considered myself a ‘people’s artist’ because I do paint life that reflects actual people,” Demolli said. “I do my own style, my own technique, but I see through the eyes of the people.”
FAST FACTS
Jesse Demolli
Hometown: Florence, Italy
Education: Academy of Fine Art, Florence
First public mural: Painted age 13
Years painting in the United States: 20
Where to view in Plant City: Esposito Pizza, The Corner Store
Website: demolliart.com
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.