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Vegas fashion show will feature artwork of Youngstown native
Tony Romeo has rung in the New Year with another jackpot.
The Youngstown native and Las Vegas-based artist recently learned that his artwork will be featured at the Flair For Care Fashion Show April 8 at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The event, which features a designer clothes collection, benefits the Nathan Adelson Hospice Center in Las Vegas.
His piece “Untitled” will be featured, and the show will be an opportunity for Romeo to showcase his artwork as it will be viewed by an audience comprised primarily of influential Las Vegas businesswomen, Romeo said.
Romeo said he’s both speechless and honored to be a part of this event, especially because Steve Wynn, the owner of the Wynn Hotel, is known to be an avid art collector, Romeo said.
“It’s maximum exposure because it’s the Wynn. Those paintings are in a position to keep moving on,” he said.
The news comes on the heels a successful 2010. In October, 15 pieces of his abstract and impressionist paintings were hung on the first and second levels of the Saks Fifth Avenue department store in the Fashion Show Mall on the Vegas Strip. The paintings will remain on display on the first and second levels for the first half of 2011 and then will be moved to other levels of the department store.
Romeo attributes his recent successes to the contacts he’s made in the Las Vegas art community since he relocated to the entertainment mecca in 1993. His paintings and wood-cut prints have been purchased and displayed as decor in several high-end Las Vegas restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. His works are also displayed in the homes of Bobby Baldwin, president of the Bellagio casino hotel; and at the Versace store.
The Mooney High School graduate earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Youngstown State University, and says he’s proud of his Youngstown roots. His father — also Tony Romeo — has taught generations of dancers at his Youngstown and Boardman dance studios.
The majority of his works are abstract or impressionist paintings that feature vivid colors and movement within the paintings. Dutch-born abstract expressionist painter Willem de Kooning has been a major influence on his career, he said.
Romeo credits his family for instilling him with a diligent work ethic and is humble when he explains his career. He hopes his story can inspire other artists to not be afraid to take chances and roll the dice, even if it means moving out of their comfort zone.
“The world is full of talent. There has to be a little luck on your side, but if you can say, ‘I’m happy with myself,’ then you’ve achieved greatness,” he said. “I just went after it, and I’ve been going after it ever since. Don’t be afraid to to pursue your dream.”