Twenty years ago, Napa Valley mom and music teacher Layla Fanucci was looking for some lively art to hang in her St. Helena home, but finding nothing she liked, she took it upon herself to create a large, colorful painting.
Quickly taking to the canvas, Fanucci discovered a talent for composing abstract cityscapes, depicting international locations like Paris and Washington, D.C. (pictured), with densely layered images of skyscrapers, urban parks and crowds of people that blur together with a dreamlike perspective.
Fanucci’s a background in music shows in her paintings, which practically hum with activity, suggesting movement and the passage of time while reflecting each cities distinct vibe in intermingling details.
In the last two decades, Fanucci has
taken the art world head on. Private collectors across the globe commission
her works, and she has shown at prestigious galleries in California, New York City, France and Morocco.
In 2010, Fanucci met Napa wine-industry pioneer and art curator Margrit Mondavi, and in 2012 participated in a group show at Robert Mondavi Winery. Now Fanucci is back at the winery as an artist-in-residence for a solo exhibit, “Traveling the World
City by City,” on display through Jan. 8
in the Margrit Mondavi Vineyard Room,
7801 St. Helena Hwy., Oakville. Daily, 10am to 5pm. 888.766.6328.—Charlie Swanson
