Ellington

As a child, Billy Solitario was always drawing, exploring his fascination with nature and the way things were organized. Now, at 43, he puts those interests to use in his large contemporary landscapes and still-life works.

Born in California then transplanted to Gautier, Miss., at an early age, Solitario uses his coastal surroundings as inspiration for his artwork. He didn't think that he could create a living out of being an artist, but after making a deal with his parents, he began studying at the University of South Florida, where he earned his bachelor's degree in painting in 1994.

After graduating, Solitario went on to the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. In 1997, after completing two years there, he received the Gwendolyn Ozol Scholarship Award and spent the next year studying painting full time. In 2002, he earned his master's degree in painting from Tulane University, and in 2003, he began teaching at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. He manages his time by only teaching an intermediate portrait course or the occasional landscape lecture.

"When I approached painting, I really wanted to learn the technique and the craft of (it)," he says. "That was what's most important to me—the actual craft. So, (the academy) was able to teach me that, and with that knowledge, I've gone on, started working, and basically, I'm able to paint whatever I decide to paint."

Solitario's most popular works are those of coastal landscapes and large cloud still-lifes. He says that the biggest influence on his artwork is the design of nature. He likes to observe how it presents itself, as well as the structure of things, such as the way clouds are a culmination of heat and water or the symmetry behind a crab shell. For him, it's all inspiration.

"I'm really interested in how nature organizes itself, and how there's an underlying level of control of nature, and you know, looking closely at the specifics of (it) as opposed to a peripheral vision," he says. "If you look closely at things, you start to view them in a different manner."

For Solitario, the hardest part about being an artist is marketing and self-promotion. He hasn't quite figured out social media and blogging, but he has landed multiple gallery showings from New Orleans to Florida. His work can be found at his own studio, Studio Solitario, and LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, The Pink Rooster Gallery in Ocean Springs, Miss., Red Bird Gallery in Seaside, Fla., and Brown's Fine Art & Framing in Jackson.

When he's not busy finishing up original pieces and commissioned works, Solitario likes to travel to many waterside locations to keep the creativity flowing. He frequents areas such as Horn Island, the Gulf Coast and the Pearl River Wildlife Maintenance Area. He's visited Italy a few times and hopes to one day spend time there teaching and painting different landscapes. Currently, he lives in New Orleans with his wife, Nici, and their 9-year-old son, Enzo.

For Fondren's First Thursday, Brown's Fine Art & Framing (630 Fondren Place) will feature new oil paintings from Solitario. On Thursdays, the gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit brownsfineart.com or call 601-932-4844. For more information on Fondren's First Thursday, find it on Facebook or Instagram.