Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 26th, 11:15am By Sandra Williams Gordon

In the March issue of BR, an image was used for the article of the Buffalo Club that led to the introduction to Dr. V. Roger Lalli, and his photo-realistic watercolors of Buffalo.

At 86 years of age, Dr. Lalli is a dynamic and passionate supporter of Buffalo as both the great city it once was, and the new one he sees dawning. He seems particularly well situated to tell his Buffalo story through his artwork, his role as an educator, historian and impassioned supporter of the city he loves.

Lalli's life story could be written as a novel. Growing up in a family of musicians and inventors, he learned the exacting craft of making fine accordions from the age of 12. Lalli also worked as an auto mechanic, bricklayer, carpenter and instrument builder, as well as being a prominent semi-professional cyclist.

Lalli was recognized early in his life as having unique and special gifts as an artist. He received the John Sattler Scholarship to the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, became the youngest member to be invited to join the Buffalo Society of Artists, and he was awarded the coveted Isabelle Ross Award for excellence in drawing, for his rendering of Michelangelo's sculpture of Duke Guiliano, which remains one of his most prized possessions.

That piece may have set the stage for what would become, decades later, his life's love. Lalli has executed a body of work over the years, that is a passionate and exacting portrayal of the architecture, history, and sense of place here in his hometown, Buffalo.

"People don't know how good this city is. They really don't know," Lalli lamented. "There are people here in this city who have never been to the observation deck at Buffalo City Hall! We have one of the best collections of architecture in the world!" Dr. Lalli's sense of place indeed lies in the heart of Buffalo, all 42 square miles of it.

An educator, through and through, Lalli taught in the Buffalo Public School systems, Daemen College (former Rosary Hill) and Canisuis College, as well as spending 23 years in Amherst Central Schools. Lalli taught classes as varied as architecture, engineering, drafting, fine arts, and anatomy.

At the young age of 69, Lalli decided that he could best express his passion and admiration for his hometown by painting a series of watercolors that delved into the roots of Buffalo history and architecture. Choosing to represent the 42 square miles of Buffalo with 42 paintings, ten years later he had completed the series, Buffalo My City.

Halfway through the series of paintings, Lalli was invited to exhibit his collection at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. The 1992 solo exhibit opened to a standing room crowd. This was pivotal for Lalli; it energized him to continue his work, and take his photo-realistic technique to even greater heights.

"The hardest part was getting the reference I needed for each painting, to showcase it just right," he said. That reference of composition, shadow and luminosity is best seen in his watercolor painting of the Buffalo Yacht Club.

"People often think that I project the image onto the watercolor paper and sketch it from there, Lalli explained, "but I don't." He uses exacting measurements in creating his photo-realistic detail, including counting each brick, each roofing tile, and often painting each single blade of grass. And he does this using only the 3 primary colors and lamp black.

In 2002, Dr. Lalli wrote the book, The Buffalo Architectural Watercolors, which features all of the paintings from the Buffalo My City watercolor collection and includes fascinating commentaries on the architecture and history behind the Buffalo Landmarks written by David Mott Rote. Peter Jehrio contributes in writing a detailed description of the photo-realistic technique as described by Lalli.

A standing room only crowd attended the recent unveiling of Dr. Lalli's commissioned watercolor of the Larkin Building. The photo realistic painting was created over a number of years, while the 'Doc' as his students called him, kept visiting the Larking building, doing detailed site research, and waiting for the exact right time of day, right time of year. Finally capturing the reflection of other nearby buildings reflected in the windows, Lalli knew he had his image.

A series of signed Lithographs of Buffalo, My City, The Buffalo Architectural Watercolors, can be viewed at the The Dr. Roger V. Lalli Gallery, in the Margaret L. Wendt Center at Trocaire College. Currently, the entire collection of originals is held in temporary storage, awaiting a prominent and permanent home.

For more information on obtaining his books and reproductions, available in 4x6", 9x12" and full-size formats, E-mail: snareshuffler@aol.com or vecchioj@trocaire.edu See his work at www.city-buffalo.com Search word: Lalli