A Huntington artist has brought her late father’s work to life with her self-published collection of his drawings.
Deborah Porretto said her father, Frank Porretto, had always been an artist, but didn’t get a lot of public attention until he was about 86 years old when social media recognized his skills.
My dad Frank Porretto had been an artist all of his life. He grew up in Brooklyn, started our family in Queens and then we all moved to Long Island where he lived out the rest of his life. He was prolific with his art and he mastered a lost art of the intricate pen and ink stipple drawing technique,” she said.
The technique uses just dots and lines to achieve shading and lighting.
“In the last years of his life, I made a promise to him that I would get his stunning drawings out to the public for everyone to see and admire,” she said. “Up until a few years ago, only family and friends knew of his amazing talent. After his passing in December of 2021, I wanted to find a way to keep my promise to him. That’s when I came up with the idea of self-publishing a book of his art collection.”
The book is called “A Promise Kept – The Art Collection & Legacy of Our Father.” She wrote and designed the book, which just came out recently.
“I never thought that I would write and publish a book. My focus has always been drawing, painting and graphic design ever since I was a kid,” she said.
“With this book I combined it all: my dad’s art, my promise to him and my graphic design experience. My dad and I did a few collaboration pieces before his death that are included in the book as well. The book became a labor of love and a family affair with my sister Denise Porretto as co-writer/copy editor and there were also contributions from my nephews.”
Porretto said the 44-page book is for all ages. “Hopefully it will inspire others to follow their dreams and their passions,” she said.
Porretto is a senior graphic designer for Leviton Manufacturing.
“I spend a good deal of my free time working on acrylic paintings and experimenting with the many textures of mixed media. I’m following my inherited passion for art in both my professional and personal life. My hope is create many more collaboration pieces with my dad’s pen & ink drawings and make a name for myself selling my art and my book locally in the Huntington community,” she said.
More information about the book and her work is available on her website at https://www.