Paintings and Drawings by Joseph Orffeo

Joseph Orffeo’s work frequently focused on the presence of death, as a subject. He eluded the sensation of fear, however, by his use of a vibrant palette to counterpoint dense black shapes. At times his imagery defied categorization, although there were often references to the figure, anatomical details, or ghostly human forms. “Death is a whole new experience,” Orffeo said. “Death is where all new things will happen. Life is only one segment of what we know. Death will be the great discovery.” (Nancy Weekly)